HaloTech
by Thelordofstorms
Summary: What happens when a Naval Wing from the year 3199 jumps into the UNSC's Darkest Hour over a world named Reach. Chapter 4-11 revised and updated. Chapter 12 UP!
1. Chapter 1

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 1**

**HAFS Victory, Sol Transfer Point**

**Terra, Terran Hegemony**

**7 April 3199**

**T-06:07:43**

Mei Yan Ren, Admiral of the Hegemony Armed Forces, walked down the corridors of her ship, looking through the latest intelligence from Fleet Command. So far there were no threat areas on the board but that could change quickly, especially since the Capellans were feeling belligerent. All around her the crew was preparing for the first leg of their journey to their patrol sector in the Deep Periphery.

She reached the bridge moments later as her yeoman appeared with additional reports from the ship's department heads. She scanned the documents once before adding them to ones already in her hand before setting them down at her station.

Around the main holotank that dominated the bridge several crewmembers were making final calibrations to the holographic display, fine tuning the device that allowed her to observe the battle space and everything in it. Right now it showed the 71st in formation while elements of the 1st Fleet ran interception exercises near the massive complex of space stations that greeted visiting ships to the Sol System. Mei Yan walked to the tank and looked up at the icons, then at the older man beside her.

"I understand congratulations are in order Chief." She spoke

"Ma'am?" The Chief of Boat replied.

"Your daughter earned a place in the 7th did she not?"

"Ah, yes ma'am," He beamed. "It is a great honor for the family."

The 7th represented the first ships that made contact with the Olympus Colony many years ago. Since then the 7th was a choice assignment for cadets right out of the academy along with the 1st Home Fleet based out of Terra and the 13th Dragoon Fleet based out of Outreach.

"You have some leave time accumulated," Mei Yan reached up and touched one of the icons in the tank. The icon enlarged to reveal the Victory and her current status. All system showed readiness for deployment. "I'll see about getting you to Dieron for the graduation."

"Thank you Admiral," He replied.

"Ma'am, incoming HPG COM from Eridani Command," a communication's tech spoke.

Mei Yan took a deep breath and linked her neural net into the ship's net and quickly connected with the feed.

**::Mei Yan! Congratulations on your promotion::** The avatar of Admiral Tomas Reed, _CINCERINAVCOM_, spoke.

**::Thanks Tom::** She replied. **::We're about six hours from deployment. Any word on my request?::**

**::You'll be getting the official traffic in an hour, but you are cleared for combat drops on Alama and live fire drills at sector four::**

**::Good. I've got the naval part of this fleet in shape, but I need to get the 49****th**** Heavy Cavalry integrated with the 71****st**** Marine and Aerospace forces::** Mei Yan grinned. **::We'll come in hot for a surprise attack::**

**::Even with the latest drive tech you're going to put a massive EM footprint out for at least sixty seconds::** Tomas replied**. ::Or have those mad scientists at New Port city come up with something new?::**

**::You'll see::** Mei Yan replied**. ::See you soon Tomas::**

**::If you can surprise the 8088****th**** it will be good for them::** Tomas spoke of the Royal BattleMech Division that was assigned to Eridani. The Hegemony maintained a strong presence of Aerospace forces in the form of two fighter wings and a dozen pocket WarShips in addition to the WarShip wing that included Eridani in its patrol route.

Mei Yan laughed as she disconnected from the net. She quickly issued new orders for the tactical disposition of the fleet, and nodded approvingly as everyone quickly moved to complete those orders. Dummy rounds were replaced with live rounds with the exception of the Alamo IV ASMs, energy weapon capacitors began their charging sequences, and lastly, the gravitic shields were brought to standby mode for immediate activation upon emergence from hyperspace.

**T-00:04:13**

"Admiral, all ships are in formation and ready to jump."

Admiral Ren turned from the holotank and approached her command station. She didn't have to touch any of the command controls, her neural interface could handle most tasks unless the system in combat, where both mental and physical controls were used. Her interface seamlessly brought her into the virtual bridge where she floating in cyberspace surrounded by the icons of her fleet. Seventeen ship icons floated information with the HAFS Victory at the center. The massive 3km long WarShip was surrounded by her escorts, three Battlecruisers, four Cruisers, four Destroyers, and six Frigates completed the 71st Assault Wing, which was beginning its first patrol since the Wing was activated six months ago. The cruisers and frigates comprised the main assault element of the fleet, transporting a full Regimental Combat Team along with the Wing's already considerable assault division. The remaining ships served as the main wall of battle against hostile forces. A support wing of four WarShips was added at the last minute to be transferred to the 45th Explorer Wing when they arrived at their destination.

The Victory was the second ship of the _Trafalgar_ class, a heavy battleship carrier that was the replacement for the aging _Intrepid_ class Fleet Carrier, which sacrificed only one hundred fighters in exchange for more armor and heavier weapons. The Battlecruisers were a mix of old and new, with the lead ship being a million plus ton _Revolution_ class backed up by a pair of _Hood-C_ class Battlecruisers. The cruisers were all of the _Vigilance_-C class, with the Destroyers being of the newer Gaia class. The Frigates, almost massing as much as the _Vigilance-C_ class, were of the _Amazon_ class, and they were specifically designed for planetary assaults. Each and every ship was fully armed and ready for any encounter, despite the fact that the Hegemony had been at peace for almost one hundred years. The support wing had three _Asimov_ heavy WarShip Transports and one _Revenant_ class YardShip. The WarShip Transport sacrificed much of a WarShip's armaments in exchange for cargo and passenger capacity, but they were by no means unarmed, and could function in a pinch as a point defense frigate. The YardShip was nearly as large as the Victory, and was equipped with an unpressurized bay that could repair and build WarShips up to two million tons. Such vessels were a much needed asset to any long range Exploration Wing because it could fabricate any new part in the event of a breakdown far from Hegemony territory. As a result, such ships were always accompanied with heavy escort.

**::All ships, initiate level one interface….prepare for jump::** Mei Yan send across the TACNET.

Every ship initiated the link that would synchronize the jump to Epsilon Eridani. Advances since the return of House Cameron to Terra was a renaissance of scientific research, allowing for the creation of advanced jump drives and artificial gravity. It also caused the creation of the first, true, interstellar Liners that carried passengers and cargo to the major ports across the Inner Sphere. The advancement in WarShips also tempered many who enjoyed 'rattling their sabers', because it made waging war so much more dangerous since the advances allowed for JumpShip equipped with gravitic technology to make the jump directly into a planet's orbit, bypassing the Zenith and Nadir jump points that dominated interstellar travel for millennia. There were still skirmishes along the borders, but the days of massive armies invading were receding into the past, but there were always those who would bring back those dark days, and it was the mission of the HAF to see that those days would not come again.

She nodded as all ships linked and signaled their readiness to jump, and then dropped out of the TACNET and took her seat.

"Begin the countdown."

Her command station flashed the countdown timer starting at two minutes. This would be the first test of the new K-F Drive systems that had just been approved for use, and the ship's compliment was augmented with twenty system engineers and scientists to observe the drive's performance.

"Sound General Quarters," She ordered. Standard orders were for all naval vessels to go to battle stations before a jump, which many crew thought was a useless gesture. There was always a chance that an 'OP Force' was lying in wait when a wing made a jump.

General Mei Fang climbed into the cockpit of her _Atlas IIIC_ as the general quarters alarm sounded throughout the fleet. He quickly linked into the ship's TACNET to observe the jump and keep an eye on his RCT as they prepared for the jump. Battle Armor points climbed into their suits and moved to their combat stations. From her command DropShip linked to the Frigate Aventine, he took pride in his unit's performance. A momentary flicker caused him to blink as the ship's gravitic shields powered up. It was another of the advances in technology that kept the Hegemony ahead of the rest of the Inner Sphere. Gravitic shields were now standard on all Hegemony WarShips which provided some protection against energy and ballistic attacks, and the rest of the Inner sphere was slowly catching up as lesser shielding systems were showing up in their WarShips and JumpShips.

**::49****th**** Heavy Cavalry RCT at standby::** She sent over the TACNET.

Colonel Rosaline Dubois gave her deck chief a thumb up as the canopy closed on her 55 ton _Hornet Mk II_. She briefly linked into the TACNET to assure herself that the Victory's aerospace wing was ready for a combat launch. She closed her eyes and relaxed as the wing's status flew across her inner eye, each and every icon flashing green in response to her unspoken query.

**::Raven Lead, 382****nd**** Aerospace Wing ready::** She reported.

The countdown time slowly wound down to zero.

"All hands, brace for jump." Mei Yan spoke. "Sound Jump alarm."

The wing jumped in a staggered pattern. In order for the wing to arrive on target in one cohesive group, the larger, heavier WarShips initiated their jump drives first, followed by the lighter WarShips. Targeting computers entered standby as weapons were cycled to arm status. Everything turned a brilliant white as the drive systems tore open a hole in space to allow the ships to pass through instantaneously to their destination, but fate would deal them a different hand all together.

In just that moment as the bridge between two points was formed, something happened. A cosmic string occupied the phase space at the fulcrum of the hyperspace bridge, creating a massive distortion effect that in an instant opened not just a bridge to Epsilon Eridani, but all Epsilon Eridanis in the multiverse. Perhaps it was fate that would catapult them not to where they wanted to go, but where they needed to be.

**A brief history of House Cameron**

House Cameron ascended to command of the Terran Hegemony in 2340 with the election of Michael Cameron to Director General. This would continue until the assassination of Richard Cameron by Stefan Amaris in 2766. Many believed the line of Cameron was extinct, but they were wrong.

In 2599, Director General initiates Project Olympus, research colony located in the deep periphery. The project would be comprised of 500,000 colonists to be placed on a distant world with close to a full Hegemony Armed Forces Army Corp as a defense. The project was hidden amongst the reorganization in the aftermath of the Unification War, with millions of tons of equipment being listed as scrap, then transferred to a staging area in one of the secure system of the Hegemony. The massive amounts of refugees served as the basis for the colonial population, as well volunteers from the best and brightest of the Hegemony. A member of House Cameron is installed as Colonial Governor.

The truth of the colony became apparent as they were stranded on Olympus. A cold, but habitable world in a star system six thousand light years from Terra, far beyond explored space and beyond any hope of rescue. The WarShips, JumpShips, BattleMechs, and other military hardware as well as manufacturing facilities were placed in a stable orbit amongst the planet's many moons. Thousands of colonist died before they were able to reach the cache in orbit and there they discovered another surprise. None of the JumpShips or WarShips had the navigational data to return to Terra. They were truly alone.

For the next four hundred years, the colony experienced an explosion of scientific and technological advancement, but there was always an underlying bitterness towards those that abandoned them. Even with a Cameron in command, the anger was always present. Hyper Fusion engines, Advanced K-F Drives, Neural Interfaces, Bio-synthetic armor, nanotechnology. These were all areas of advancement among the colony. Military technology advanced as well, but not as much other disciplines. Plasma weaponry was introduced, and the colony reactivated its military forces for the possibility of searching for a way back home.

In 3065, Home found them. A fleet from the New Star League stumbled across an old beacon that led them to Olympus, where they found that not only did House Cameron live, they thrived. The fleet commander met with the leader of the House and outlined the past four hundred plus years of their exile. Plans were made as the fleet swore allegiance to House Cameron, and the plans for their return their old seat of power. By 3072, they were ready to invade. The Jihad was well underway, and the confusion would only allow for the complete surprise against the Blakist forces. No one in the Inner Sphere expected a massive force of nearly one hundred WarShips to hit Terra, and no one expected House Cameron to have survived. In a six month whirlwind offensive, the Blakists and the Great Houses were driven out of the former Hegemony worlds. All were warned against violating the Hegemony's borders. The advanced technology of the Hegemony was light years beyond those of the Inner Sphere as well as the Clans, many of which returned to the Hegemony fold.

For the next one hundred years, House Cameron led a second golden age in both science and technology. Artificial gravity became standard on all WarShips, JumpShips, and DropShips. Acceleration Compensators allowed for greater speeds in aerospace craft. Nanotechnology was highly regulated in the Hegemony, but was used for everything from environmental reclamation to virus and disease eradication. Gravitic shields were introduced to WarShips, along with advances in weapons such as the Hellbore series Naval Plasma Cannon, the Penetrator series Neutron Naval Pulse Laser, the Blackout series Disruptor Cannon, and the Armageddon series Spinal Mount Gauss Cannon.

Towards the end of 32nd Century, the Hegemony Fleet was a force to be reckoned with, more than capable of defending it borders as well as projecting the Hegemony presence to any trouble spot in the Inner Sphere.

**A/N**

**This is the start of the revised HaloTech. A majority of the changes will be additions from Halo: Reach as well as minor tweaks to the plot to make things move more smoothly. As always, questions, comments, and complaints welcome, flames are not.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 2**

**Covenant Corvette **_**Ardent Prayer**_

**Geosynchronous orbit, Reach**

**14 August 2552**

"Well, I've got good news and bad news," Jorge 052 spoke. Six came up to the massive Spartan II as Jorge looked up from the Slipspace drive. "This bird took some fire and our thruster gimble is toast which means the only way off this slag heap is gravity."

"And the good news?" Noble Six replied.

"That was the good news." Jorge pulled his helmet off.

_At current velocity, fifty three seconds to end point…_ Dot interjected.

"Yeah yeah," Jorge muttered. "The bad news is…timer's fried so I'm going to have to fire it manually."

"That's a-" Six raised a hand to Jorge.

"_-unknown energy disturbance above Reach, the carrier's is altering course,"_ Colonel Holland radioed. _"Looks like the mission is scrubbed."_

"Ain't that some shit," Jorge muttered.

"Let's get back to the Sabers," Six ordered. "We'll blow the ship on our way out."

Jorge armed a Fenris and tosses it into the Pelican before the two raced to the upper decks where the YSS-1000 Saber awaited. Theirs was the only fighter remaining; the survivors evac'd when the Pelican that carried the slipspace drive docked.

"_Noble Six, do you have a visual on the Covenant Supercarrier?"_ Col. Holland radioed.

"Confirmed Colonel. The carrier is making its way past the defense perimeter." Six replied.

"What is that?" Jorge muttered.

There was a silhouette against the planet, a ghostly mirage of an unknown ship.

"I don't know," Six replied. "Colonel, I've got a visual on some kind of disturbance, make that multiple disturbances."

"_Our sensors are detecting a massive amount of EM radiation….what do you mean the neutrino count is off the chart?"_ Holland said. _"Six, maintain your position and do not venture any further, we're getting a massive radiation spike down here."_

"_Sir, I'm counting at least twenty ghosts up here. The carrier is nearing the radiation field."_

_**Slipspace rupture detected….**_

"_Gamma station control reading multiple pings below the orbital defense grid…"_

_**Slipspace rupture detected….**_

"_Yeah, we're picking up anomalies too…"_

"_Are you reading this? Multiple Covenant signatures…does anyone have a visual?"_

_**Slipspace rupture detected….**_

"_THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!"_

"_This can't be happening…this must be the whole damn Covenant Fleet…."_

_**Slipspace rupture detected….**_

Six glanced back at Jorge. "They're jumping right into that radiation zone…"

"_TACHYON SPIKE!"_

That's almost a hundred ships, thought Six.

"HOLY SHIT!" Six shouted as he jerked the fighter's nose up. Brilliant white spheres engulfed the Covenant fleet, each centered on the sensor ghosts. Eighty percent of the Covenant Fleet was enveloped, including the bow of the super carrier. Six held on to the controls for dear life as ship was tossed about from the massive gravitational shockwave.

"CONTACT!" Jorge shouted. "Twenty one new contacts have appeared in the middle of the Covenant Fleet."

"_-you describe-"_ The EM interference made contact with Holland difficult. The entire fighter's electronics were swamped by the EMP and the emergency breakers tripped, shutting the fighter down.

The Saber drifted slightly as Six began the reboot process and Jorge to deliver the play by play.

"Two contacts are massive, both nearly the size of a Covenant Assault Cruiser. The rest vary from 1.5 kilometers to about 500 meters." Jorge spoke. "All ships are angular, but sleek and predatory…olive drab in color with blue highlights. Weapon systems are unknown, as are their propulsion."

"You think the EM and Tachyon spikes could be related to their FTL?" Six asked as the fighter's power plant brought the systems back online.

"Could be."

"What is the status of the Covenant Fleet?"

"They are in total disarray. Half the fleet is drifting without power and the other half is either destroyed or severely damaged."

"Check out the Supercarrier," Six pointed.

The massive Covenant ship was also drifting, and noticeably missing its bow. The few remaining Covenant ships that were not damaged nor disabled began firing.

"…rendezvous…Gamma Point 312…copy…six…" Six strained to hear.

"Looks like back to work," Jorge replied.

* * *

**UNSC Trafalgar**

**Reach, Epsilon Eridani System**

**14 August 2552**

Admiral Robert Freemont leaned over the plot board onboard the UNSC Trafalgar as the last bits of data from the RSO Fermion streamed in.

"Send to all commands, Bravo-Tango-Beta-Five," He ordered. "All ships to fall back and rendezvous at the Line. Send to FLEETCOM to implement Case Zulu. Execute Cole Protocol."

Bravo Tango Beta Five ordered all ships from the nearby systems of Jericho and Tantalus to return to Reach, and Case Zulu ordered the evacuation of all non-combatants from military bases and cities to the mountains where they could be evacuated off world. All he could do was try to save as many as possible before the end. The ship's AI, Lord Nelson, appeared beside the plot board in a British Naval Uniform circa 1805.

"Sir, we are detecting multiple slipspace waveforms just beyond the maximum range of our Super MACs."

"What is their pattern?"

"They appear to be attempting a pincer maneuver. We have the advantage of the S-MAC platforms and defensive line, but they have the advantage of superior firepower."

"We have no choice but to hold."

The two fleets engaged in quick, probing attacks. They had the advantage in firepower, being able to execute sniper attacks against the UNSC fleet and defensive line. Even with the firepower advantage, the Covenant loses many ships, first to the nuclear minefield, then as they tried to penetrate the MAC line. By 0620 hrs, the Covenant retreated after deploying hundreds of DropShips to cripple the planetary defenses.

The Trafalgar was severely damaged, but still capable of acting as the command ship for the remaining UNSC forces. All of the casualties had been transported to staging areas in the mountains of Reach, and all that remained on the flagship of the Epsilon Eridani Fleet was the Admiral's staff, a skeleton crew, damage control teams, and a battalion of Marines to hold off any Covenant boarding parties.

The Covenant forces split into two groups to wait for their ground forces to complete their task.

"Admiral," Lord Nelson spoke. "We are detected a strange energy wave form near Reach."

Robert wiped some blood off his chin. Damage control crews were working frantically save the ship, but he knew it would be a doomed effort. "Source?"

"It is not a recognized Covenant signature sir," he replied. "The waveform is increasing in intensity and range. Covenant ships are beginning to react. Twenty one distinct waveforms are present."

"Order all ships to pull back to the MAC line."

In the distance he could make out the strange, hazy glow from the starboard Covenant fleet group could be seen. It was eerie. It was like there were silhouettes in the center of each glowing sphere.

* * *

**Seeker of Truth, Fleet of Particular Justice**

"Supreme Commander, we are detecting an energy spike near the _Long Night of Solace_."

Thel 'Vadamee turned from his seat to the young Elite. "Is it a human weapon?"

"We do not know. The energy signature does not match the Human's technology."

"Is it a threat to our fleet?"

"Unknown. The energy signature seems to be building."

"Order the Sacred Promise to pull their group back away from the disturbance."

He turned back to the display.

"By the PROPHETS!" The young Elite spoke. All eyes turned to the display as the bow of the _Long Night of Solace _exploded, followed quickly by forty six other CSS class Cruisers. The rest of the second wave caused the rest of the ships to tumble out of control as the EMP disrupted their systems. The massive energy wave dissipated to reveal twenty one alien vessels, the largest nearly as big as an Assault Cruiser. They were green in color with blue accents, a strange star displayed on the forward hulls. There was no mistaking the purpose of those ships.

Thel felt a shiver run across his body as the telemetry came in on the alien ships. The power signatures were equal or greater to that of a Covenant cruiser. The surviving ships still under power scattered, and a few began to open fire on the new arrivals. Energy projectors that could easily burn through the human's ships was bled off by a shielding system of unknown design. The plasma that penetrated the shields was shrugged off by the ship's armor. Tactical sensors couldn't penetrate the alien's hull, something in the hull seemed to sense and adapt to the sensor's waveform. No human ship could completely block out another's sensors, and this left him with a nameless dread. Fighters began emerging from the alien ships. Missiles the size of Phantoms blasted from their tubes to cross the void between ships, each warhead impacting with enough force that was equivalent to several hundred of the Human Archer missiles. Some missiles were deflected by the shields, others converted themselves to plasma upon impact and roasted the cruisers.

"Order the second wing to stand to and prepare to engage." Thel ordered. "Bring the fleet around to provide covering fire for the second wing."

* * *

**HAFS Victory**

Mei Yan held on as the jump was completed, right in the middle of an unknown fleet. Alarms sounded as the computer began checking for damage. She watched as all ships reported in. Some stress damage reported on the hull and internal structure, but the nanotech repair systems kicked into begin repairing the minor damage. She turned her attention to the planet before her.

It was on fire.

"Admiral! We are detecting multiple impact craters on the planetary surface as well as major radiological readings in orbit!"

"Unidentified ships in all quadrants! No reply from Eridani Command!"

Her screen began showing all of the contacts in the vicinity of the planet. All combatants were unknown.

"Signal all ship to execute STORMDOOR." She ordered.

Throughout the Wing the ship's computer systems entered secure firewall mode and defensive network systems came online. Cyber-warfare teams linked into Offensive Tactical Networks to being the preliminary electronic warfare assault, looking for weaknesses in the electronic battle space. She didn't have to wait to see who the aggressor was as one of the white-organic looking ships fired an energy beam on the _Vigilance_ class _Seeker_. The beam smashed against the cruiser's shields, bleeding most of the energy off into space as the remainder melted into the heavy armor.

"WEAPONS FREE!" She shouted. "Scramble all fighters!"

"Three groups of targets," Her Tactical Officer reported. "Group Alpha is holding in a defensive pattern around the fifth planet. Spectral analysis indicated heavy titanium armor of the defenders, possibly fusion powered with a heavy spinal mount main weapon. Groups Bravo and Charlie are in attack formations. We are in the middle of Group designate Charlie. Alien vessels have a type of Ferro-Aluminum armor, but are protected by a gravitic shield similar to our own."

"Weapons?" She asked.

"Energy based from initial scans…Power output comparable to Level 3 Hegemony Technology."

"Reinforce our shields." She ordered. "Let's see what they are bringing to the fight before we show our hand." She touched an icon in the holotank.

**::Heinlein, get your science teams on the job and tell us where we are and what the hell is going on:: **She sent to the _Asimov_ class Transport.

The _Heinlein _was configured as a science and research vessel for the 45th with the task of acting as both long range scout and mobile research facility. The sensors on board the ship were the most advanced built, capable of surveying a system in hours. Long range optical sensors could detect extra solar planets and phenomena up to 100 light years away. From various ports on the ship's hull high gain sensors deployed and began scanning the various targets. Real time analysis streamed from the science ship to the Victory as the sensors scanned the various alien ships. Five distinct classes of ships were detected in the alien fleet. The super massive twenty seven kilometer warships that appeared to be a carrier/transport hybrid, a five point three kilometer 'Battlecruiser', a one point seven kilometer cruiser, a one point five kilometer destroyer, and a nine hundred and fifty six meter corvette/frigate. The corvette was fast and well armed, but did not have comparable shields to the other ships. The destroyer class was well armed and shielded, but limited in its firing arcs. The cruiser was like all cruisers, a well rounded combatant, and the 'Battlecruiser' seemed to function as a command and control ship as well as primary assault platform. The Hegemony was well versed in threat assessment, and it did not take too long to formulate a strategy.

**::Admiral, we are passing a patch code for the shield matrix to all ships. The code will help deflect enemy plasma weapons::** The Captain of the Heinlein reported.

**::Good work::** Mei Yan replied. **::That was fast even for you Thad::**

**::The enemy plasma weapons function like a lightning bolt. Positive charge attracts negative charge…the new code will invert polarity to repel the plasma…child's play really…:: **

**::Keep on it. The holotank looks like a Christmas tree with all the Tangos:: **She replied.

**::Our sensors have gotten a good read on the enemy armor…what there is of it::**

**::That bad::**

**::An old Marik Thera class Carrier has more armor Admiral::**

She could feel him chuckling through the link. ::Keep at it::

"Admiral, should we deploy our DropShips?" Her XO asked.

"Negative. Keep them docked for now. Initiate a full defense link with all DropShips to augment our point defense."

* * *

**UNSC Trafalgar**

Admiral Freemont watched in both surprise and elation as a good portion of the Covenant warships exploded, replaced by vessels of an unknown design. They were sleek and angular, and even from his vantage point he could tell those ships meant business.

"Open a channel to those ships!" He ordered as one of the Covenant ships opened fire. The beam that could smash a UNSC ship was absorbed by the alien's shields, with only some damage to the hull. The alien ship responded with a massive barrage of what could only be described as lightning bolts and emerald beams. The Covenant cruiser was bisected by the beams, its shields overloading and failing, finally breaking apart in a massive fireball. Swarms of fighters began to emerge from all ships to engage the Covenant Seraphs. It was rapidly devolving in to a furball on an epic scale.

"Order all UNSC ships to steer clear of the new contacts."

* * *

**HAFS Victory**

"Admiral, we are receiving an open transmission from the planet."

"Let me hear it," She ordered, moving to the holo tank.

"…_Covenant forces are attempting to seize the space port at New Alexandra…All UNSC forces converge to safeguard civilian evacuations…"_

She held on as the ship was struck by multiple energy beams. "Analysis?"

"Energy beam is a plasma based weapon, comparable to our own Hellbore series cannons. Alien ships are equipped with some sort of pulse laser batteries as well. Power plant is unknown but their drive systems appear to be gravitic in nature." Her tactical officer reported.

She reached into the TACNET. **::Ares, capture me a ship::** She ordered one of her Destroyers. The _Gaia_ class ship wheeled over, bringing its Disruptor cannons to bear. A blue bolt emerged from the spinal mounted weapon, slamming into an alien cruiser. The ship rolled with the impact as ionized lightning arced along its hull as its power systems overloaded and failed. Battletaxis raced from the destroyer towards the alien ship, latching on to parts of the hull for the Battle Armor points to invade and conquer. She picked the _Ares_ because most of the crew was Clan bred, and the Elementals onboard her could use some exercise.

"Tactical analysis indicates that the enemy shields are ineffective against our Disruptors and PPCs. Lasers and plasma will have to penetrate their shields, and Autocannons and Gauss weapons are the least effective," Her XO reported. "Recommend we use our Disruptors to take out as many ships as we can and finish them off when their shields are down."

"Incoming transmission from one of the ships in Group Alpha, audio only."

She touched an icon to connect.

"_This is Admiral Robert Freemont of the United Nations Space Command to the unidentified vessels. We are under attack and request immediate assistance if possible. Covenant forces are attempting to disable our defense grid for orbital bombardment of all population centers…."_

She followed the transmission link back to its source, a massive warship that was listing and on fire. The signal was from a human voice, and long range sensor date backed it up, but none of the ships were from the 7th Hegemony Fleet, and the massive orbital works were completely unknown to her. She pulled back to a strategic view to check her forces. Three ships had suffered moderate damage, but were still combat worthy. The Support Wing had pulled in close as the 71st was surrounded by alien ships, but the count of alien ships was quickly dwindling even with the Victory not fully in the fight. A flashing icon from the _Ares's_ Star Commander Danielle Chand and her Elemental Points caught her attention and she linked in.

**::Admiral, we have boarded the enemy ship, and it is filled with very hostile aliens. I repeat, we are engaged with non human lifeforms...:: **

The data feed included a video link and she watched the heavily armed Battle Armor points engage the enemy. Plasma and laser fire were exchanged in smoky, poorly lit corridors as the Battle Armor troopers pushed further into the ship.

**::Surats! All Points be advised, some of the aliens have optic camouflage as well as personal shields. Initiate Headhunter protocols::**

She took a deep breath to center herself. More alien ships were approaching. She opened a link to the human ship and followed it in. She was backed by several Cyberwarfare specialists as they distracted the ship's AI in order for her to proceed.

"_I am Admiral Mei Yan Ren of the Hegemony Armed Forces…" _

**CSS Cruiser **_**Dream of the Prophets**_

The Elemental Mk III was the latest medium battle armor to be introduced into the Clan Touman. It was introduced by Clan Blood Spirit in 3190 as a replacement for the aging Elemental, or Toad, suits and the Clan Battle Armor, the Elemental Mk II, and only vaguely resembled its ancestors. It had bulk, but it was more streamlined, with a fully articulated helmet system as well modular weapon bays. The Jump Jets that were mounted in the legs have been moved to the rear torso with smaller maneuvering jets on the legs and arms. The standard model mounted a MML 3 rack on the torso in a detachable backpack, with a small ER Pulse Laser in the right arm and either a 20mm chaingun in the left arm or a Plasma Carbine. Both arms ended in a pair of vicious looking battle claws. Each suit carried a defensive ECM suite and full Tactical Network interface for coordinated assaults.

Star Commander Danielle Chand was grateful for the diligence of the Blood Spirit techs. Normally she spat on them. Even under command of the Director General the Clans still had their differences and were allowed to…voice…their disagreements so long as they kept to the Trials.

Her star was mixed. Three points of Elemental Mk IIIs, one point Salamander Mk IIs and one point of Gnome Mk IIs. The boarding action was simple since the EMP wave generated by the arrival of the 71st knocked out the alien ship's shields and opened the ship's landing bays to space. There were no bodies upon arrival due to the explosive decompression, but soon enough they found the enemy.

It was a short creature, rotund with knobby digits and wearing some kind or respirator. It held a small pistol like weapon in its hand, but dropped it immediately while squeaking at a high pitch.

"DEMON!"

It fled down a corridor as fast as it could. Danielle eased around the corner to see several other aliens at a juncture, seeming led by a massive alien eight feet tall with double jointed legs. It's mouth opened into four part and it screamed, charging down the corridor towards her point. She raised her left arm and sent several plasma rounds downrange, impacting against the alien's shields.

**::Admiral, we have boarded the enemy ship, and it is filled with very hostile aliens. I repeat, we are engaged with non human lifeforms...:: **She send through the TACNET. The alien's corpse slid to a stop at her feet as she stepped back as a crackling wave of energy sliced into the barrel of her plasma carbine. She lashed out with her battle claw and gripped something unseen. With a thought her vision shifted into the thermal, then ultraviolet ranges. Another alien fought her grip as she tensed her forearm muscles and crushed the alien's neck.

A second tall alien fell to the deck dead, its stealth field powerless.

**::Surats! All Points be advised, some of the aliens have optic camouflage as well as personal shields. Initiate Headhunter protocols:: ** She ordered, firing off a SRM into the alien crowd. The high explosive missile made a grisly graffiti of blood and organs along with green flames from the small alien's backpacks.

"Switch to thermal and ultraviolet sensors," Danielle moved down the dim purple corridor. "Eliminate all resistance."

The blood was ankle deep in some parts, partially from the ship's decompression, partially from the Snow Raven Elementals. The pulse lasers they carried made short work of any foe they came across with the exception of the blue 'ProtoMechs'. Those monsters took a great deal of teamwork and firepower to bring down, but fortunately for her Star, they were few and far between.

The reptilian aliens that seemed to be the leaders and frontline warriors were the main challenge her Star faced. They were fast and very well trained, but they were used to winning. They were like the Clans before the Battle of Tukayyid.

As they reached the engine room of the ship, they found it filled with floating, jellyfish like aliens. These aliens were working on the ship's massive power plant and ignored the Elementals, but the other aliens, the small aliens and their larger, bird-like allies reacted by either running or hiding behind the portable shields that were thrown up around the room.

"Sweep and clear," She ordered, dropping to one knee and firing off three SRMs. The missiles arced over the impromptu barricades and exploded in an airburst, shredding the 'birds and 'balls. The floating aliens stopped and drifted for a moment before one of them drifted down to float before Danielle. She prepared to engage, but didn't feel that the alien was hostile. Soft tentacles descended and began probing the damaged plasma carbine mounted on her left arm. One of her point raised their plasma weapon but she raised her right arm to wave them off.

The alien worked quickly and efficiently, and within minutes, a new barrel was crafted and mounted on the carbine body. She _felt_ the weapon through her internal network, sensing the power and restored capability of the damaged weapon. The floating gasbag fixed it. She looked at the alien closely before making a decision. She opened an open COM port to the alien.

A flood of information assaulted her, then ceased. It started back up at a slower pace but she couldn't understand. She made a mental image of the Battle Taxi that brought the Elementals to the ship and sent it to the alien. It seemed to float aimlessly for a moment before drifting towards the door. Then the rest followed suit.

**::Pilot Caren, there are several floating aliens heading to the shuttles. Do not destroy them. They are…Isorla::**

* * *

**UNSC Trafalgar**

"…_commander of the 71__st__ Assault Wing, assigned to the 7__th__ Hegemony Fleet based out of Epsilon Eridani. We will render assistance."_

Admiral Freemont felt the weight of the battle ease from his shoulders before realizing that the woman was broadcasting from Lord Nelson's emitter. She was Asian, wearing a very close fitting olive drab suit that looked like form fitting leather armor. The left side of her face was dominated by a silver tattoo that spread like a spider web from her left eye. Her hair was pulled back into a very tight bun with a pair of hair pins holding it in place.

"_Do not be alarmed,"_ She continued. _"I am linked into your computer system from my flagship. Pull your forces back to your defensive line. I would rather not inflict any casualties due to…friendly fire…"_

The hologram wavered, and then was replaced by Lord Nelson. "Well I never..."

"What just happened?" He ordered.

"Apparently these humans can interface with computer systems in some form of super network. I can feel their computer systems, but they are so secure it would take hours for me to get in."

He rubbed his chin, wondering if these new arrivals were from one of the Insurrectionist worlds. "Order our forces to pull back to the defensive line. What is the status of the ground assault?"

"We're barely holding on Admiral. If we lose the grid there will be nothing to stop them from glassing the planet." His staff officer replied.

"Divert what support we can to the ground forces. What is the status of the Spartans?"

"We have multiple teams moving into combat positions as we speak sir. We have Noble Team on the ground as well as elements of Sierra Three Bravo. Blue Team is on the Pillar of Autumn that can deploy from orbit."

"No, we might need them up here."

"Sir, I request that you transfer your flag to the _Thermopylae_. The _Trafalgar_ is starting to come apart." His flag captain said.

Robert stared at the damaged bridge around him. "Signal Admiral Whitcomb that we are abandoning the _Trafalgar_ and he has operational command. Tell him that the new arrivals are not hostile."

* * *

**Raven Flight, HAF Victory**

Colonel Dubois jinked her fighter hard to the port, followed by her wingman as a pair of alien fighters raced past, tracers of plasma energy intersected where they once were.

"Raven Lead to all fighters, maintain buddy system. Enemy fighters are fast and shielded." She lined up a bead on a Seraph, her own pulse lasers ripping into the enemy shields, followed by a burst from her RAC 5. The alien ship tumbled and broke into pieces. "But not invincible."

She watched a star of heavy fighters execute a strafing run against one of the damaged alien warships. Hegemony Aerospace forces followed Clan TOE, which was to have ten fighters in a star, three stars in a Trinary. The Trinary served as the base squadron for the HAF, although the ground forces retained their traditional Lance formations as the basis for their TOE. The enemy ship's shields were in shreds thanks to the pounding from the HAFS _Heracles_, and they wasted no time in unloading their entire ordinance into the enemy ship. Several delta winged ships also engaged the stricken cruiser, crippling it further as the Assault Wing made its way towards the planet. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hornet LAMs from the Vigilance class cruiser _Trade Winds_ chase down a flight of enemy fighters that were making a run for the massive grey ships that defended the planet.

She checked her ammo levels quickly. Most of her armaments were energy based, the rest ballistic and missile. She had enough ammo for at least two more engagements before she had to retreat to the Victory to refuel and rearm.

"All stars, keep a close eye on your ammo," She ordered, then switched to the TACNET.

**::Nelson Base, This is Raven Lead. I recommend switching all fighters to Bravo Strike Packages::**

**::Confirmed Raven Lead. Bravo Strike Packages will be standing by.::**

She dropped out the TACNET as a flight of enemy fighters, designated Beetles, raced by. She rolled her fighter to pursue. Bravo Strike Packages were pure energy, a mix of Plasma cannons, PPCs, and pulse lasers, better suited for longer engagements. The enemy's weapons were mainly plasma. The heavy armor of the Hornet was a lifesaver, but still she noticed too many of her wing being taken out by sheer force of numbers. What was needed was game changer. Over the TACNET she could hear the orders from the Admiral.

**::All ships assume assault formation::**

As another Beetle fell to her guns, she watched the 71st shift formation, the frigates and cruisers making their way to the planet as the rest of the squadron began laying down covering fire. A massive alien ship broke apart in a flash under the combined fire of the three Battlecruisers.

* * *

**UNSC Pillar of Autumn**

Captain Jacob Keyes held his pipe in his hand as he watched the battle unfold. The arrival of the unknowns obviously threw a monkey wrench in the Covenant's plans, forcing them to divide their forces against the newcomers. He marveled at the firepower of the new arrivals as over half the Covenant fleet was on its way the scrap yard.

"Sir, multiple enemy Seraphs have broken through our defense perimeter. They are making a run on the bridge," Cortana spoke. "I can't bring any of our point defenses to intercept."

An olive drab fighter with blue accents raced in front of the _Pillar's_ bridge, and for a moment, he thought the fighter was heavily damaged as it seemed to break apart.

It was neither damaged, nor breaking apart.

Jacob let his pipe fall to the deck as the giant robot held the line in front of his bridge, sending enough firepower downrange that destroyed two Seraphs and caused the rest to scatter right into the _Pillar's_ point defense. The alien robot turned to give a jaunty wave before transforming back into a fighter and racing back into the battle. He turned to Cortana, who seemed to be just as shocked as the rest of the bridge crew.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," He said.

* * *

**HAFS Victory**

Mei Yan watched the events unfold on the planet known as Reach. A part of her wanted to order the fleet to retreat, to jump back to Terra, but she knew she couldn't leave these people to their fate. It violated many codes of conduct among the Hegemony Armed Forces to ignore those in need, no matter the cost.

**::All ships, assume assault formation::** She ordered.

The Victory accelerated into a low orbit, followed by wing's three Battlecruisers. The Destroyers took up station above and below the wall of battle as the cruisers and frigates eased closer to the planet. The Victory's fighter wing kept the Covenant fighters at bay while the fighter stars from the other ships maintained close aerospace support. It was a textbook assault formation, with the heavy capital ships defending the DropShip laden cruisers and frigates as they would deploy their combat forces to the planet. The Frigates would also act as orbital fire support if needed.

**::General Fang, begin landing your troops::**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 3**

**HAFS Spatha**

**High Orbit, Epsilon Eridani**

**14 August 2552**

**::General Fang, begin landing your troops::**

Mei grinned in her neurohelmet.

"Captain Lenova, take us in," She radioed to the ship's Captain.

The massive frigate moved from its position with the 71st, followed by the rest of the frigates. The four cruisers took up a defensive position above them as all ten ships executed a full combat burn towards the planet. Along the hull of the cruiser docking collars retracted and the docking tubes disconnected. Umbilicals retracted as the massive DropShips that housed the regimental combat team slowly drifted away from their mother ships. Mei watched on her secondary MFD a live feed from the hull of the _Colossus II_ DropShip as the maneuvering thrusters slowly rotated the spheroid ship onto an approach vector to the planet. One by one the DropShips of the 49th detached and prepared for combat as the 49th's Aerospace Wing began deploying from their carriers for escort duty.

"Two minutes till drop," the DropShip captain reported. "We're on the glide path."

Mei brought up her tactical display to show the target areas. There were three sites that needed defending, and the current defenders didn't seem to have the firepower or the stones to hold the line. The countdown timer was running down quickly.

"4th and 5th Orbital Assault Divisions, drop on the power generators at the following coordinates." She sent the data to Colonels Sergovich and Reed. "Hold the line."

"1st Regiment, prepare for Avalanche Drop right on top of the main enemy force. 88th and 975th , secure LZ. All remaining regiments to deploy to the following sectors." Mei sent out the remaining coordinates. She flicked several switch covers open, toggling the weapons systems from standby to armed. The HUD flashed to life as the fusion engine that was the heart of the thirteen meter tall war machine revved to full power. The _Atlas IIIc_ stepped from its cubicle towards the main hatch, followed by her command lance. Behind her eyes the message flashed that all BattleMechs were ready for deployment.

"_Thirty seconds to drop."_

Already the Orbital Assault Divisions of the 49th Heavy Cavalry had deployed, racing towards the surface of the planet in their Battle Armor cocoons. At 1000 meters the cocoons would break apart and jump packs will slow their descent to thirty meters, where the packs will disengage and allow the Battle Armor units to engage at will. The Mechanized Infantry of the past was replaced with the latest Spartan class medium Battle Armor and used point formations instead of the traditional squads. 1,125 Battle Armor troops per Division were making their combat drop right into a massive slugfest.

The hatch of the _Colossus Mk II_ class DropShip slid open.

"This is General Mei Fang of the Hegemony 49th Heavy Cavalry to all UNSC defenders. We will execute an Avalanche Drop at targets Alexandra, Armory, and A-331. If it is big and green, don't shoot it." She broadcast over an open frequency. The light flashed green and one hundred tons of destruction wrapped in Ferro-Titanium stepped into the open sky. The booster pack would slow the descent of the massive BattleMech, but at thirty meters, she jettisoned the pack for a hard landing because it was important to make a good first impression on everyone present.

* * *

**Planetary Defense Generator A-331**

**Outskirts, New Alexandra**

**14 August 2552**

Commander Carter-259 looked up as the Falcon VTOL he was riding was buffeted by multiple reentry shockwaves.

"Commander, we have a lot of inbound traffic," The pilot radioed. "A LOT of traffic."

Carter could count thousands of reentry pods heading for the generator complex. Team Noble didn't know what to think of the new arrivals, but word from FLEETCOM said they were friendly. Millions of civilians were trapped in the cities, desperate to escape. Already word from the Armory was that there were multiple inbound ships of unknown configuration. He looked at Kat, Emil, and Jun. All were ready for combat as soon as they touched down at the objective. Other Spartan Teams were also in play, each moving to their assigned objectives.

"Seraph at four o'clock!" Shouted Emil.

Everyone swung to see the enemy fighter bearing down on them, only to explode moments later as a strange fighter rolled out of the blast. It was sleek, angular, and very deadly.

"God!" Kat shouted as the fighter seemed to fall apart, only to transform into some kind of war machine. It drifted closer to the VTOL and the cockpit de-polarized, revealing the pilot. It looked like a Spartan in the cockpit, in an olive drab armored suit and gold reflective helmet reminiscent of the EVA variant Mjolnir armor. The pilot gave the Spartans a thumbs up before the cockpit polarized and the fighter boosted towards the stratosphere.

"Is there something ONI isn't telling us Commander?" Kat asked.

"Thirty seconds to target Commander," The pilot reported. The VTOL banked sharply as several Longswords raced by. The four leapt from the VTOL near the perimeter as several Scorpions began firing. They made their way to the forward bunker and reported in. The room was lit only be an overhead light that illuminated a map board.

"What's the situation Captain?" Carter spoke.

"We've established a perimeter around the generator complex. Right now the Covenant forces on planet are in complete disarray because of the drop pods that landed."

"These Hegemony forces? Are they any good?"

"We've heard reports coming out of the Alexandra and Armory of giant robots landing and engaging the Covenant forces." The captain reported. "Strange fighters buzzing about, but if it keeps the Covenant in disarray I say more power to them."

"We encountered one of the Hegemony fighters on the way in."

"It grew legs?" The captain asked.

"Yes."

"I've seen a few of them fly over the tree line at high speed. It was like watching a pair of _SparrowHawks_, but only more heavily armed and armored."

A commotion outside drew everyone's attention as Carter and his team emerged from the bunker. Standing in the middle of a group of UNSC Marines were five eight foot tall armored soldiers. Their helmets were fashioned after archaic Greek helms, and their legs had a double joint similar to those of the Elites. They were olive drab in color, with a blue stripe along their left leg and torso. Multiple weapons were mounted on the armor and the leader strode forward. Carter did the same until they were both nearly eye to eye. The trooper reached up and removed his helmet, revealing a rather human face apart from an elaborate silver tattoo on the left side of her face. Her hair was cropped close to her skull, revealing several neural interfaces similar to those of the Spartans.

"I am Colonel Katya Sergovich of the 4th Hegemony Orbital Assault Division. I have orders to support your forces in repelling this attack."

Carter reached up and removed his helmet. "Commander Carter 259," He replied. "Spartan Team Noble."

"We have encountered some resistance as we landed, but the only real fight we have encountered is from the giant armored aliens and the shielded ones." Katya replied. "The others we have been able to sweep aside with no casualties."

"Hunters and Elites," Carter replied. "Those are the heavy assault troops and leaders of the Covenant forces."

In the distance, a mechanical thumping could be heard, creating impact tremors in the pools of water around them.

"Da," She said. "General Fang has landed her forces in the area you call the Armory. She is enjoying herself since it is not often we face and enemy that does not use BattleMechs on the field."

"BattleMechs?"

The impact tremors became more pronounced, and everyone turned to look at the ten meter tall robot that marched along the perimeter, followed by three others. They had massive cannons for arms, and what appeared to be a radar dish above its head. The four seemed to patrol along the perimeter.

"Ah, the aerospace defenses have arrived," Katya said. All four BattleMechs turned and began firing as a flight of Covenant Banshees made the mistake of leaving the cover of the forest. The Banshees exploded like a string of firecrackers as the combined Autocannons and pulse lasers of the 'Mechs made short work of the light armed aircraft.

"_Rifleman_ Mk IIIs," Katya said. "They will provide enough air defense to keep these Covenants away from the generators."

"Got any more of the _Rifleman_ to take on the Covenant ground forces?" Carter asked, impressed with the display.

"The _Rifleman_ is more suited to air defense, but it is not the only BattleMech in the Hegemony arsenal. A scout company of light 'Mechs is already harassing the enemy forces to the north while General Fang's command company and 1st Battalion is engaging their armor and DropShips. We dropped two OADs onto the generator complex for defense while our DropShips ground to the south of us and deployed our armor and artillery."

"Sir! The Covenant is making another push to the Generators!" The Captain had a hand to his helmet. "No armor yet, just numbers."

"Shall we?" Katya put her helmet back on. Carter nodded and replaced his own helmet.

"Noble team, saddle up."

The UNSC forces had improvised a trench along the perimeter of the generator complex and as Carter surveyed the area, the Covenant were attempting a full court press. Burst of automatic weapons fire was peppered with laser, plasma, and crystal bolts. Other, similarly armored troopers from the 4th OAD leapt forward on streams of plasma, often landing in the midst of an enemy formation and unleashing their own plasma and machine gun fire. Even with the assistance of the 4th, it was not to be an easy victory.

Carter and the rest of Noble Team took cover as plasma overshot their position. He watched Katya take a hit to the torso but only stagger back as the superheated plasma scorched and melted the armor. She braced herself as two missiles erupted from her backpack and streak towards the enemy formation, followed by eight other missiles from her squadmates.

_They operate in groups of five,_ Carter noted.

The missiles impacted both in the soft soil and among the Covenant in an airburst. Alien blood and limbs flew from the fireball as she raised her right arm. Mounted on the arm was what appeared to be a heavy AutoCannon, and she fired one round at an approaching Hunter. The heavy round impacted the Hunter's shield, the kinetic force and blast ripping it from its body. Carter raised his battle rifle and fired a three round burst into it, followed by a single round from Jun's sniper rifle. The monstrous creature staggered back and collapsed as its bond mate rushed forward, firing its fuel rod cannon. The green blast smashed into one of Katya's warrior's shattering his armor and sending the body rolling back into a fox hole of Marines.

Emil leapt over the broken cover and slid beneath the Hunter as it tried to focus on the Spartan, only to come face to face with Emil's shotgun. Three round in rapid succession to the Hunter's head caused the beast to join its brother. Katya extended her left arm and fired a stream of energy bolts downrange into a mass of Grunts, causing one of them to explode in a green flash. Over head UNSC SparrowHawks made strafing runs against Covenant Mantis tanks as a pair of olive drab and blue tanks hovered over a ridge and into attack position.

"Pull your troops back," Katya ordered.

"What?" Carter shouted.

She pointed to the tanks. "_Scythe_ and _Harvester_ OmniTanks…configured for anti-infantry."

Both vehicles accelerated onto the field, their front mounted weapons flashing to life as pulse lasers, mingled with anti-personnel gauss rifles, cut into the Covenant flank. Turret and side sponson weapons cut down those that evaded the first barrage. A single BattleMech landed behind the two tanks and fired on the Covenant armor. Shell casings covered the ground and the Hyper Assault Gauss Rifle of the _Shadow Cat III_ shredded the Covenant Wraiths with precise shots. The Covenant forces recoiled at the hammer blows landed. Two more hover tanks crested the ridge and unleashed a barrage of emerald bolts into the massed enemy formation.

Carter watched a few Hegemony personnel check the dead and wounded, recovering the injured as well as the dead. The Hegemony teams left nothing behind.

The _Shadow Cat III_ was blasted back by a focused energy beam from the mouth of a valley. The sixty ton war machine tottered as the pilot ejected, finally exploding in a massive fireball.

"Damn," Katya spat.

"Covenant Scarab!" Kat shouted, pointing. In the distance a sixty plus meter tall quadruped robot was making its way towards them from the canyon. And just over the mountains, a Covenant Destroyer was emerging from the clouds.

"When it rains it pours," Carter said grimly. "You have any additional support?" He asked Katya.

She nodded. "Damocles, Damocles, request fire mission."

"_Damocles on station."_ The reply came over the open channels for all to hear.

"Covenant warship at the following coordinates," She read off the coordinates as they fed through her tactical display. "TAG on target."

"_Target confirmed. Prepare for bombardment."_ High in orbit the HAFS _Spatha_ rolled to bring her port broadsides to bear. The Covenant Destroyer managed to sneak in over the polar ice caps, but in making a run for the generators, it left itself open to attack.

She turned to Carter. "Damocles will take care of the warship, which leaves the quad to us."

The clouds above the Destroyer parted as four Neutron Pulse Lasers, two Plasma rounds, and two Medium N-Gauss round impacted the ship in the first of a thirty second barrage. The destroyer's shields shuddered, finally shattering as the additional fire from the broadsides of the Hegemony WarShip bled through its shields into the vulnerable hull, the port wing of the Covenant Destroyer exploding as it lost altitude and crashed into the ground. The flash of the blast would be seen hundreds of miles away, and the shockwave threatened to knock everyone off their feet.

Katya braced herself as the wave passed. The rest of her point did likewise and waited for a moment as the wind blew past them. The technology that allowed a warship to enter a planet's atmosphere was something they had to acquire for the Hegemony. She was sure that there were recovery teams already moving to the wreckage as well as following the boarding parties onboard the alien ship in orbit.

"I take it there is a plan for taking on the Scarab?" Carter asked.

"Da," Katya replied. "March One, this is Cossack One, we have enemy Colossus class 'Mechs in play, requesting _ARES_ support."

"_Stand by Cossack One,"_ General Fang replied. _"Request granted, clear grid for deployment."_

"FALL BACK!" Katya shouted.

Moments later a streak of fire appeared in the sky. The Scarab continued its slow advance, oblivious to the approaching fireball.

Carter watched the object explode into fragments as the contents were revealed. Three massive legs impacted into the ground as the titanic war machine landed behind the Scarab. Arms deployed as the Scarab's turret mounted plasma cannon began to swivel, only to be met with a massive stream of plasma from the tripod's left arm.

"Ah, they deployed _SHIVA_," Katya said.

"_Shiva_?" Kat cocked her head, the rest of Noble team seemed to prepare for the worst.

"Colossus class BattleMech…150 tons…used for sieges," Katya replied. "Not exactly the fastest 'Mech in the HAF, but she can put the fear of god into anything that it comes across."

The tripod BattleMech lurched forward and fired into the knee joint of the Scarab, melting the delicate joint and causing the Covenant quad to go down. Plasma fire from the Scarab's pintle mounted plasma cannons pelted the Shiva, but it absorbed the fire and unleashed a third barrage into the opposite leg, destroying its knee joint. It slowly backed away and spun its torso to fire at targets in the Canyon.

"_Shiva One to Cossack One, target is down, execute swarm."_

"Execute Swarm confirmed Shiva One. Thanks for the assist and good hunting."

Three more BattleMechs crested the ridge and raced ahead of the lumbering giant, each one identical to the one that came before.

* * *

**Low Orbit**

Rosaline rolled in behind a Covenant fighter and triggered a burst from her RAC 5 followed by her pulse lasers. The Seraph tumbled out of control before exploding against the shields of a Covenant cruiser.

"Raven Two and Three pull in," She ordered. She dove her fighter beneath the broadsides of the _Long March _as it fired again into the side of Covenant cruiser. NPPC-Hs smashed into the alien ship, followed by plasma fire. Sporadic pulse laser fire from the Covenant ship struck and penetrated the shields of the Hegemony WarShip, but was unable to penetrate to the armored hull.

"They're heading for the McCaffery," She followed a flight of Seraphs, destroying one as she rolled beneath the Long March. Aerospace Fighters from the _Long March_ destroyed a second Seraph as she leveled out.

"If this keeps up we'll run out of ammo before we run out of tangos," her wingman radioed.

"All Ravens, keep an eye on your ammo status." Rosaline ordered. "If anyone goes below ten percent RTB."

She fires a short burst of her Rotary AutoCannon into a Seraph, followed by her ER Medium Lasers and Medium Pulse Lasers. The 50mm shells of the AutoCannon broke down the shields of the fighter enough for the lasers to penetrate. The crimson beams of the ER Mediums carved through the weak armor of the Seraph and sent it spinning out of control, and the emerald bolts of the ER pulse lasers finished the ship off.

They were still our numbered.

And the battlespace was getting cluttered with debris.

"_Victory to Raven Lead, RTB for refuel and rearm."_

"Copy Victory," She pulled her fighter into a tight turn towards the flagship. "All Ravens RTB."

The fighter engagement began to break up as both sides withdrew, the Covenant forces pulling back further from Reach, but threatening the other worlds in the system. She eased her fighter into the main docking bay as bay crews worked quickly to move the incoming fighters to their respective bays. There were ten fighters to a bay, each with five launch doors. It took twenty minutes for the crews to refuel the fighters and switch out the weapons packages, leaving time for the pilots to take a quick 'lunch' break via food stores built into each pilot's flight suit. It was a soft paste, not much flavor, but with all the important vitamins and minerals to keep a person going.

**::Admiral, we need to break this blockade quickly::**

**::Agreed, however, the enemy force outnumbers us considerably. We've detected multiple nuclear detonations in the outer system. This UNSC has apparently mined the outer system extensively with tactical nukes::**

**::We have the edge…::**

**::So far::** She could feel the Admiral's frustration. **::We have only so many resources available and a prolonged engagement can only hinder our operational capabilities::**

**::If I could make a suggestion::**

**::What do you recommend::**

**::Let us use Alamo IIIs and IVs against the larger cap ships. The smaller frigates and corvettes have very poor shields and can be strafed easily by our fighters::**

**::You realize using nuclear weapons this close to a habitable planet is a direct violation of the Ares Conventions?::**

**::You of all people Admiral know that no one follows the Ares Conventions anymore...not after the Jihad. Besides, who is going to rat us out here?::**

**::I will take it under advisement Colonel Dubois. Right now we need to push the enemy force back beyond the planetary defense line::**

**::Understood::**

"Raven Lead to Victory Command, ready for launch," She gave the crew chief a thumbs up as he signaled completion of the refit. The fighter's tactical computer had already updated and displayed the current load out which included a single ER PPC, two wing mounted ER Large Pulse Lasers, with ER Medium Pulse Lasers slung underneath, and two aft mounted Micro Pulse Lasers. The Bravo Package ran a little hot even with the extra double heat sink slotted in next to the ER PPC, but the effectiveness of the Particle Projection Cannons and pulse lasers against Covenant shields more than validated the excessive heat buildup.

* * *

**New Alexandra**

General Fang braced as the laser fire from the overhead Covenant Corvette smashed into one of the buildings. Nearly all of the Covenant forces had been driven out of the city, but there was the small matter of the half dozen Covenant Corvettes that had taken up position overhead. While minimally shielded, they had proven resistance to the UNSC weapon systems, however, they were still vulnerable to Hegemony heavy weapons, as proved by the wreckage of a Covenant Corvette that crashed into the outskirts of the city, brought down by combined fire of the Command Company and 1st Battalion and elements of the 8/94th Tactical Wing under Colonel Jenkins.

**::General, Covenant forces are massing near the 'Armory'::**

She raised the targeting reticule until it flashed gold and fired her Phase PPC and Plasma cannon. The rest of her Command Company followed, blasting holes into the low flying Corvette until it turned away. Arrow IV missiles streaked after it, smashing the weakened hull and sending it crashing into a building.

Overhead squadrons from the 8/49th kept most of the Covenant fire focused on them. It was brave of them since most of the Covenant energy weapons were in the Sub-Cap range…effective against DropShips and WarShips, and deadly against lighter Aerospace craft.

**::All units rally to the Armory. Colonel Kell, move your regiment into the city and begin securing it. Be thorough in your sweep. No stragglers or survivors among the alien forces::**

**::Confirmed General::**

"_General, with Colonel Medenov's compliments."_ She looked over to see a Recovery Team drive up in a _Prime Mover Mk III_.

"Report," She ordered.

"_The Colonel has deployed his recovery vehicles to the outskirts of the city. His techs are ready to begin field repairs and recovery operations."_

"Very good. Follow standard salvage procedure, but pay special attention to the alien tech." Mei sidestepped her 'Mech into the main thoroughfare and marched her 100 ton assault 'Mech towards the outskirts of the city. The rest of her company followed, breaking away from the scattered Covenant infantry while Colonel Jacqueline Kell's 6th Orbital Assault Division relieved them. Her tactical display showed the current status of the Regiment. Only a few fatalities, but damage from the alien weapons was taking a toll. While not as varied as Hegemony technology, Covenant weapons in some instances, packed quite a punch. Their heavy plasma cannons mounted on their tanks and quad 'Mechs dealt more damage but at a slower rate of fire. Even her _Atlas_ was scarred from the battle.

"STAND CLEAR!" she shouted over the 'Mech's speaker. Quite a few of the frightened populous was tagging along, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before someone got stepped on.

"This is General Fang to any UNSC unit. Take charge of your civilians before they get hurt." She sent the transmission in the clear. "We are about to engage the enemy at the Armory."

**::Colonel Iron Horse, sitrep::**

**::1****st**** Battalion is sweeping towards the generator complex supporting the 4****th**** OAD. 2****nd**** and 3****rd**** Battalions are moving to engage the main Covenant force to the west with the 9****th****/49****th**** and 11****th****/49****th**** in support. 4****th**** Battalion is holding the Armory along with the 2****nd****/49****th****::**

**::Keep the pressure on. If we can break them here we can roll them back to their LZs for the Fleet to take them out::**

**::I'll be wearing a war bonnet by nightfall General::**

**HAFS Victory**

Mei Yan held on as the Victory shook under fire.

"Damage Report!"

"Minor hull breach on deck six, frame 23. Har-Jel and nano-sealant deployed," Her chief engineer reported. "Damage control teams are in position and are working on the hull."

"Enemy forces redeploying towards the L-5 point," the Tactical officer reported.

"Direct fire on the retreating ships, prioritize capital ships first," Mei Yan walked around the holo-table. The UNSC fire was still heavy against the Covenant fleet, but only half of the invading fleet had survived this round of battle. At least a dozen enemy ships were drifting right at medium range, all of them with their power systems damaged or destroyed. All of them were capital ships. The smaller corvettes and frigates of the Covenant fleet simply shattered under the concentrated barrages. It took two full power shots from the Naval Pulse Lasers to weaken their shields enough for the rest of the lasers to penetrate. The Naval Particle Projection Cannons lost some of their charge penetrating the shield, but they all landed clean hits on the Covenant ships, burning right through what they called armor and scoring critical hits. The NGauss cannons were less powerful than their UNSC counterparts, but they could still cause a lot of damage if a clean hit was scored. One round from the plasma cannons was equal to half of a Covenant plasma torpedo, and the disruptor cannons had proved to be the 'game-changer', with each successive hit from a disruptor taking out the power system of a Covenant ship. The disruptor was a weapon that could hit at extreme ranges, but there was always the threat of a massed Covenant assault on their ships before they could get into range, and with the fleet in formation to support the 49th, their targets were limited to any Covenant ship that made the mistake of crossing their forward arc.

"Tactical, I want all NPLs and NGauss cannons synced for the lasers to bring down the shields and the gauss cannons to follow them in. Pass the order to all ships." Mei Yan stopped her circle. The latest casualty reports were beginning to scroll across her optics. In all, casualties are surprisingly light with only eighty one KIAs in the OADs with an additional forty seven WIAs. There were only a handful of KIAs in the BattleMech regiment, with no other serious injuries reported among the other regiments. They were in the sphere where shock, lethality, and technology overlapped, and they had stunned their opponents enough to force them to react to them, but it would not last. The enemy would adapt their tactics and technology to gain the advantage, and she did not have a ready supply of personnel to fill the void in combat losses.

**::Admiral, our primary firewall has been pinged by enemy Cyberwarfare::**

**::Threat level::**

**::Minimal…but they may try to brute force the firewall::**

**::Spool up the IC. If they want to play then be sure to give them a very warm welcome::**

In 2978 Cyberwarfare was introduced to the Hegemony in the most brutal of ways. A rogue AI. What was to be the crown jewel of the Olympus colony quickly turned into a nightmare as the Artificial Intelligence named 'Zeus' quickly went 'insane' for lack of a better word, and launched an attack against its creators on the military world of Tartarus. A full BattleMech regiment was dropped into the battle, of which only fifteen 'Mechs and their pilots survived. The battle was finally won when several computer specialists used their implants to shut the AI down in cyberspace in conjuncture with the ground forces. In the aftermath a specialized group of computer techs was formed and trained to deal with cyber threats and assigned to Hegemony Fleet groups. Typhon Teams, as they were called, were first deployed in 3005 and used standard Hegemony computer tech. In 3199, the teams used the bleeding edge of computer technology to engage in battle with the various Houses and Blakist remnant.

Captain Julia Ramus floated in the ship's Cyberspace with her team. She looked at the other eleven techs as they observed Epsilon Eridani's cyberscape.

**::I want Tar Pits and Tracers on all incoming nodes:: She ordered. ::Have we identified the enemy command ship?::**

**::Right here::** One of the techs pointed. It was one of the alien's Battlecruiser type ships. It wasn't in the heart of the formation, but escorting one of massive alien warships that was identical to the one destroyed upon arrival of the 71st. **::We have managed to penetrate their network using a Tracer::**

A line of alien code flashed in front of her eyes. **::What is the status on penetration::**

**::We have three mainframes crunching code::** Another of her team spoke. **::They have nothing in the way of firewalls or Intrusion Countermeasures::**

**::I hear a but::**

**::But their computer systems are extremely hard to interface with. My gut feeling is that the alien's tech is built on someone else's tech::**

**::Be prepared to engage if they make a push on our TACNETs::** Julia said as she watched the battlespace.

* * *

**UNSC Thermopylae **

Admiral Freemont held on as a Covenant pulse laser stripped the armor off the starboard secondary engine mount. The lights dimmed as the ship's MAC fired into a damaged Covenant destroyer that crossed their path. The six hundred ton round crossed the space in just over two seconds, smashing through the ship's shields and boring into the ship's reactor. The medium capital ship was thrust to port under the impact before exploding with tremendous force.

It was only one ship, but every ship the Covenant lost bought Reach more time.

"Do we have any more data on the Hegemony ships?"

"I've been maintaining a link with CASTLE and SWORD Bases. The Covenant forces have been repulsed from SWORD Base and they have operational security again."

"That's good to hear." Roland replied.

The screen changed to show the Hegemony battle line. The beam weapons used against the Covenant forces had mixed results initially, but they were slowly turning the tide against the Covenant. One of their weapons in particular proved especially devastating against the Covenant. And if they could secure it for use on UNSC ships they could easily sweep the Covenant out of UNSC space.

"The Covenant seems to be retreating to an L-5 point," Leonidas said. "They may be regrouping for another attack."

"Status of our fleet?"

"We have lost thirty percent of our effective naval combat forces. Reinforcements are enroute from Jericho and Tantalus. Covenant fleet has been reduced fifty percent. The Hegemony's ground forces have driven the Covenant from New Alexandra and the Generators for the Super MACs and are preparing to launch another counter attack. Covenant forces have begun regrouping to their previous staging areas."

"And our orbital defenses?"

"We lost six Super MAC platforms, but we have managed to cover the hole. Anchor Nine has sustained heavy damage, but it is still in operation as are the rest of the Anchor stations. Right now the Covenant are focusing on Reach and ignoring the other colonies."

"You mean they are focusing on our new friends."

* * *

**Viery Territory**

Four Hegemony fighters raced through the canyons at only ten meters off the deck, close enough to scrape the paint off the belly. Each fighter carried a mix of cluster and incendiary bombs for the primary staging area of the Covenant with the intent to cause as much havoc and terror as possible before elements of the 49th/1st arrived to push the Covenant off the planet. The pilots were members of the 49th's second fighter wing, tasked with the often thankless job of anti-aerospace/SAM suppression.

They were also certifiably insane.

It took a special kind of person to fly a forty ton fighter at near hypersonic speeds loaded with enough ordinance to level a small city low enough to the ground to count the blades of grass without panicking or crashing into the earth and making a big hole in the ground. It was also something each and everyone one of them lived for. They were thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies, and they were also very, very good at what they do.

The incendiaries they carried were on a delayed fuse, which gave the 35 ton _Ghosts_ ample time to release their bombs and light off their afterburners straight up. The Covenant anti-air defenses were caught flat footed in the attack as the warheads slammed into the elegant structures, only to explode into raging infernos as the jellied napalm ignited. Plasma tracers from Covenant support platforms followed them, but it was too late. The entire Covenant staging area was now wide open for aerospace assault.

* * *

**Planetary Defense Generator A-331**

Commander Carter watched the events unfold with a cautious eye. He was flying through the air, held close to the armored chest of Colonel Sergovich as she and the rest of her point carried Noble Team right into the heart of the Covenant Scarab. The eight foot armored warriors of the 4th OAD each grabbed a Spartan an started running, making larger strides until the kinetic force initiated a full jumpjet burn, catapulting them nearly 100 meters forward with each step. Their jump jets were very similar to the jet pack mods used by Spartan IIIs, but it lacked some of the flight time of the UNSC version, but made up for it in staying power. It only took moments to reach the downed Scarab from their previous position.

The grunts on the Scarab panicked.

The jackals on the Scarab panicked.

The Elites…not so much.

Katya and her point dropped Carter and the other Spartans right before they landed, with Carter landing on top of a screaming grunt and whipping out his M9 pistol. The high powered magnum rounds punch holes in anyone who got in front of him. An Elite Minor appeared before him, his plasma sword ready to strike. He braced himself for the blow, but instead heard and felt the superheat air expand beside his head. The crimson-yellow bolts smashed into the Elite, shattering its shield as Carter brought his own weapon to bear. In the end, there wasn't much left. He noticed Katya's arm out of the corner of his eye with the glowing barrel sizzling with heat.

"Would you mind we didn't destroy this 'Mech?" Katya asked. "Our commander would like samples of the alien technology."

"You have engineers that can replicate this?" He asked, kicking a grunt off the ledge.

"We were escorting several transports to the 45th Explorer Wing when we ended up here." Katya replied. "One of the ships can pretty much fabricate anything the engineers can disassemble and analyze."

Carter replaced his pistol and pulled out his BR55. "Anything else in your bag of tricks?"

Katya stepped around him as another Elite appeared. This one wore the golden armor of a Zealot. She calmly reached behind her and pulled a large mace from a slot. The Zealot ignited a twin plasma swords. Katya brought the mace up and blue lightning arced across its head. It was more of a hammer shape than a ball shape, almost like Thor's Hammer, Mjolnir. The Elite charged in, its weapons a blur as it attacked. Katya held it off for a moment before bracing herself. The plasma sword burned as it penetrated her abdomen, and Carter stepped forward to shoot the Elite in the head. She jabbed forward with her weapon, the blue lightning penetrating the Elite's shield easily and creating a massive feedback discharge that literally knocked the Elite off his feet, his flesh smoking from the energy discharge of the weapon.

Carter reached around as Katya went to one knee.

"Are you alright?" He knelt down beside her, pulling the blade out. A black, tar like substance oozed out of the armor, covering the wound and forming a seal.

"I'll be fine. This isn't my first dance at the ball," She replied. "Har-Jel…Combat sealant. Our medium Battle Armor will keep the warrior alive in any environment and can withstand almost any weapon in our arsenal up to an ER PPC or a Gauss round." She rapped on her chest armor.

Kat stood uneasily. "Objective secure General," She radioed. "Request R-Teams for retrieval."

* * *

**Outskirts, New Alexandria**

Carter watched the Hegemony teams disassemble the massive Covenant Scarab. The fighting had moved away from the city for the most part, but there were still pockets of resistance in the city itself as well as one or two Covenant corvettes lurking nearby. The Corvette's minimal shielding didn't protect it from the Hegemony's BattleMechs, and already the burning wreck of one could be seen partially in the bay.

"Commander, we have a Falcon inbound," Kat stood from her com gear.

Carter turned to watch the Falcon slow to a hover before setting down and the last two members of Noble Team emerge. They wove between parked Warthogs as a M312 Heavy Recovery Vehicle rumbled past. Overhead a mixed flight of UH-144 Falcons and AV-14 Hornets maintained a perimeter.

"Glad you could make it," Carter said.

"Sorry about the delay, we had to divert to SHIELD Base," Jorge rumbled. "The arrival of the Hegemony fleet kind of fried the Saber's avionics."

"Must have been a helluva ride," Jun spoke.

"You should have seen his original exit strategy," Six added. "Straight down without a parachute for me and a heroic death for him."

"Commander, Colonel Holland on the Com," Kat interjected.

"Put it though," Carter ordered.

"_Commander, we need Noble Team to lead the Marines into New Alexandra and secure the ONI facility there. We can't allow anyone to get access to that facility."_

"What kind of opposition are we looking at?"

"_The Hegemony has been pushing the Covenant towards the Armory, but there is still a bit of resistance in the city. Most of the civilians have been evacuated towards the space port. The 485__th__ Marine Division is on standby and awaiting the green light to deploy."_

"Roger Colonel. We'll link up with the 485th at Sutter's Ridge."

"_General Lewis is running the show, but he knows you have operational orders that will force you to divert when you get near ONI."_

"What about the Hegemony? If they get involved?"

"_For the most part they are killing any Covvie they find. While they might be interested, they seem to be willing to let us keep our secrets."_

"Understood."

"_Holland out."_ The com unit went dead. Carter looked to his team.

"Saddle up. We're about to get back into this war."

* * *

**Hegemony Armed Forces Codex: Heavy Cavalry Regimental Combat Teams**

During the 2nd Succession War, House Davion unveiled the Regimental Combat Team. Comprised of a single BattleMech Regiment, three Armor Regiments, five Infantry Regiments, one Artillery Battalion, and two Aerospace wings, the RCT revolutionized combined arms combat in the 31st century. In 3130, the HAF began a reorganization to add to the combat capabilities of the increasing Hegemony Fleet. Selecting the original Heavy Cav RCTs, they were enlarged by switching out the 'Mech Regiment with a reinforced 'Mech regiment (four battalions, one command company, and one scout company of LAMs), keeping the three armor regiments, adding an additional artillery battalion, and replacing the infantry regiments with four Orbital Assault Divisions and one heavy mechanized battle armor regiment. Two additional support regiments were added to the RCT (medical, combat engineers, and other support) centered around the BattleFortress class DropShips. In addition to the two aerospace wings, a battalion of support gunships is attached to assist in ground attack support. As of 3198, the Hegemony employs forty nine Heavy Cavalry RCTs attached to the various Hegemony Fleet Groups and at key systems in both the Hegemony and Periphery.

In combat operations, the Heavy Cav functions as a rapid reaction force, often the first to assault trouble spots in preparation for frontline Army Corps and Clan Galaxies. They are the Hammer to the HAFS Army Corps Anvil, but are capable of breaking into smaller units should the tactical situation call for it. The OADs are usually the first to land, deployed directly from orbit into trouble spots, followed by the 'Mechs, Armor, and Support Regiments. OmniMechs make up a majority of the BattleMech forces.

**49****th**** Heavy Cavalry Regimental Combat Team**

**49****th**** Command**

1 Company/Elite/Fanatical

CO: General Mei Fang

Aide: Major Joshua Sinclair

The 49th's command company is made up of heavy and assault OmniMechs geared for maximum carnage. General Fang has spent a year training her unit on the plains of Mars in preparation for her assignment to the 71st Assault Wing.

**1****st****/49****th**** BattleMech Regiment (Reinforced)**

4 Battalions, 1 Company/Veteran/Fanatical

CO: Colonel John Iron Horse

The main regiment of the RCT, the 1st BattleMech Regiment is comprised of three fast attack Battalions, one heavy striker Battalion, and one LAM recon company. Colonel Iron Horse runs the regiment like a Sioux War party that just invited a US Cavalry troop to a little dance on a hilltop. The three fast Battalions use hit and run tactics to herd and enemy into the crosshairs of the heavy striker Battalion while the targets are pinpointed by the recon company's LAMs. The 1st/49th is made up exclusively of OmniMechs with the exception of the LAMs.

**49****th**** Armor**

3 Regiments/Veteran/Reliable

2/94th Panzer: General Robert Gordon

3/49th Fast: Colonel Leopold Storch

9/49th Panzer: Colonel Lina Cain

The 49th's Panzer regiments are equipped with heavy tanks for crushing blows while the Fast regiment is equipped mainly with light and medium hover tanks. The Fast regiment is also tasked with flank attacks and hit and run attacks in preparation for the Panzer regiment's assault.

**49****th**** Aerospace Cavalry**

2 Wings/Elite/Fanatical

8/49th Tactical: Colonel Miranda Jenkins

10/49th Wild Weasel: Colonel Steve Wallace

The 8/49th is tasked with air superiority while the 49th is on campaign while the 10/49th is tasked with ground support and enemy Anti-Aero suppression.

**49****th**** Battle Armor**

5 Regiments/Veteran/Reliable

4/49th OAD: Colonel Katya Sergovich

5/49th OAD: Colonel Rice Sandoval

6/49th OAD: Colonel Jacqueline Kell

7/49th OAD: Star Colonel Lynn Cobb

11/49th Mechanized Assault: Colonel Owen Legard

The 49th's Battle Armor regiments are comprised mainly of light and medium battle armor for the Orbital Assault Divisions, and heavy and assault for the Mechanized Regiment. The heavy and assault Battle Armor makes use of specialized APCs and IFVs to transport the heavy units to the battlefield.

**49****th**** Artillery Battalion**

2 Battalions/Regular/Reliable

12/49th Artillery: Major Tim Turner

13/49th Artillery: Major Takashi Yamaguchi

Both Artillery battalions make use of a combination of BattleMechs and Armor for fire support missions. OmniTanks are the vehicle of choice along with specialized Fire Support 'Mechs.

**49****th**** Support**

2 Regiments/Regular/Fanatic

14/49th Engineering: Colonel Fin Caspian

15/49th Support: Colonel Marko Medenov

The 14/49th is comprised of combat and field engineers while the 15/49th is comprised of recovery teams, medical support, and liaison personnel for integrating with local forces.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 4**

**New Alexandria**

Carter motioned for his team to hunker down as pink needler shards impacted into wall in front of them. They were moving in the narrow alleys of the city on their way to the ONI building, avoiding most of the Covenant remnant as the Hegemony assault division pushed them towards the plains to the east. A pair of grunts screamed as one of them impacted into the wall, venting green flame from the methane gas as part of its body was burned away by a high energy laser. The other grunt dove into their alley only to be met with Emile's kukri knife. It squeaked only once, its blood leaving macabre graffiti on the alley wall. Overhead fighters screamed through the city's towers with the sound of high explosive's echoing throughout the city. The wreckage of a Covenant Corvette could be seen impacted into a residential block.

Carter held up a fist as they rounded the alley corner onto the street. Everyone knelt and took cover as impact tremors shook the puddles of blood. It was purplish in color, a mixture of human and Jackal.

Alarms flashed as an ionized pulse flashed over his armor, heralding the arrival of a blue-white lightning bolt . The beam smashed into the ground and tracked up into the hull of a Covenant Wraith. The hover tank exploded violently as the PPC carved right through the composite hull. A ten meter BattleMech stepped into view, both arms with massive cannon barrels and a six pack missile launcher on the left shoulder. The 'Mech paused and a small aerial probe leapt from the right shoulder and raced over the city. Loitering around the 'Mech was five of the Hegemony's light battle armor, providing close support to the massive machine.

"Identify yourself!" One of the troopers shouted as all five focused their weapons on the alley.

"Commander Carter, Team Noble," He replied, stepping around the corner but keeping his weapon ready.

One of the troopers approached. "Sergeant Vasquez, 4th OAD. Do you require assistance Commander?"

"What's the situation up north Sergeant?" Carter replied.

The BattleMech took up overwatch at the street's juncture and swept the area for targets.

"The Covenant is dug in quite a few of the High Rises. We've gotten most of them pushed back to the Armory where the General is grinding them into paste." Overhead several fighters flew between the buildings. Several floors of a high rise exploded in the distance. "Our support regiment has set up an aid station four klicks to the north. Last update had one of your marine regiments nearby the station."

"Thanks," Carter replied. "Good Hunting Sergeant."

"You too sir," Vasquez replied. "Move it out!" He shouted to his team.

"Sir?" Kat stepped up next to him as the five Hegemony troopers jumped towards the 'Mech.

"Looks like the Hegemony is clearing the city block by block," Jun added.

"We're still on target to get to the ONI Data Node," Carter replied. "We'll swing by their aid station and get some Intel from the Marines before pressing on.

Another building exploded in the distance.

"Blowing it up block by block is more like it," Jorge quipped.

The aid station, when they reached it, was more like a gypsy camp. Four massive tracked mobile hospitals occupied a majority of the city park where they set up, as well as a pair of heavy wheeled vehicles that set up mobile field kitchens and engineering stations. The entire area was covered by overlapping camouflage tarps that kept the Covenant from making sniper attacks. There was little threat of snipers due to several anti-sniper turrets set up and scanning the surrounding area. There were a lot of UNSC Marines in the bivouac, many getting treated by the Hegemony medical teams while others were partaking of a hot meal, probably their first since the attack began.

A woman in white powered armor with a data slate approached them.

"Which Unit?"

"Team Noble," Carter replied. "Any Intel on the front lines?"

"There's a holdout of Covenant forces north of here near one of your buildings. A battalion of your marines are engaging them as we speak."

"Any of your forces nearby?"

She checked the slate. "We have a dozen medics in the area pulling SAR duty, and there is a lance of armor moving into the area." She tapped the slate. "The armor callsign is _THUNDERER_ and they're com frequency is 38.1 if you need support. The medics are on 42.3."

"Thanks," Carter replied. "Let's move people."

He knew there were a few glances back at the food trucks before they finally left the Hegemony perimeter. It had been a few days since he himself had a hot meal, but the mission came first. There would be plenty of time for hot food when the mission was done. He set two of his Com channels to the Hegemony frequencies while they eased their way north. Their first waypoint was a group of duplex apartments that gave a good overview of the target.

"Commander," Emile spoke as he knelt at the entrance to a duplex. There was blue blood everywhere, with bits of flesh that was torn and burnt. They were less than a kilometer from the ONI building, and even here they could hear the distance sounds of battle.

Carter checked around the corner with his DMR. The blood trail went up the external stairs and into the building. Normally he would have ignored this and moved on, but the duplex offered a good view of their target and would allow for them to prepare for the upcoming assault. Colonel Holland contacted them shortly after leaving the Hegemony aid station and gave them a SITREP on the target. It was currently in Brute hands, which was strange since the Jilhranae were not a major element in the Covenant forces like the Sangheili. Elements of the 342nd Marine Brigade were currently engaged with the Brutes, and they were keeping the Covenant from breaking out of the perimeter while Hegemony and UNSC aerospace forces were keeping the skies clear. Aerospace superiority was achieved by the Hegemony fighters, and their warships were still holding the line and buying time for the UNSC Fleet to regroup.

"Emile, take point," Carter ordered.

The CQB Spartan nodded and moved forward up the stairs, followed by Kat. Carter followed next along with Six covering his back. Jun was next with Jorge following up the rear. At the top of the stairs was the body of a Skirmisher. It was lying in a broken heap, but the startling sight was not its death, but that it was missing the top of its head, with trails of light blue fluid pooling around its head.

"That's new," Jun remarked.

"Keep it tight people," Carter said. Emile stood to one side of the Duplex door, followed by Kat at the other. Carter knelt and readied his rifle. Emile gave a hand signal. Kat kicked the door open and ducked around the frame as Emile swept in with his shotgun ready, followed by Carter and Six. Inside was a charnel house.

Four Skirmisher bodies lay strewn haphazardly in the room while a green armored body lay propped up next to an exposed window, a rifle lay on the open window sill with the body's hand still wrapped around the handle. By his side were Skirmisher scalps.

Carter eased into the room and moved away from the window as he looked at the body. It was a Hegemony soldier, but he wasn't armored except for the suit he wore that resembled custom fitted leather armor, albeit with a bloody spiker round through the left thigh. The rifle in the soldier's hand jerked as a grenade flew from the under slung barrel and was brought to the warrior's lap. Everyone's weapons trained on the body as the soldier's head rose up. The helmet was cracked and his face was exposed, revealing a spider's web of implants around both eyes and down the sides of his face that glowed with faint blue pulses.

"Not the SAR I was expecting," He rasped. In the distance an explosion was heard intermingled with screaming grunts.

"Hegemony?" Carter lowered his rifle.

"Sgt. Richard Raintree, 1st Battalion, 3rd Company, Recon Lance, 49th RCT." The soldier introduced himself.

"What happened soldier?"

"My 'Mech got ambushed by three of those mini-quads. Managed to bag all three, but had to punch out. Ran into a couple of those gorillas and was forced to hold up here and wait for SAR."

"We ran into one of your aide stations south of here. They said there are medics in the area." Carter replied.

"Well they are certainly taking their damn time." Raintree shook his head. "I seem to have sprung a few leaks."

"Run into any Marines?" Kat asked.

"A lot of gunfire at that large building across the quad. I thought I saw a few of your boys making a push towards one of the side streets," Raintree set his weapon down.

"Sir," Jorge spoke from the door as a pair of white armor personnel entered. The two medics pulled out a collapsible stretcher and set it down next to the wounded pilot. The extent of the warrior's injuries were revealed as the two medics pulled him off a pair of spikes that were holding him to the wall and eased him onto the stretcher.

"Be careful UNSC," Raintree warned. "They seemed to be looking for something, and they weren't too worried about collateral damage."

Carter nods at the passing warrior and motions for the rest of Noble Team to move out. They take up position near the open alley that lead to the park beyond. On the far side is the ONI safe house.

"Jun?" Carter motions the sniper forward.

Jun pulls his modified SRS 99 sniper rifle to a firing position and begins a slow sweep.

"Not much movement. I think the party's already started." The sniper spoke. "I make out two Phantoms near the safe house with at least one plasma support weapon present."

"The Phantoms?" Carter inquired.

"Both are grounded, but there is movement around one of them. Two Brutes…about a dozen Skirmishers…no grunts. Hold on…one Zealot class Elite…KIA."

"Do you think?" Kat asked. Right before the Covenant Invasion kicked off there was an encounter with a group of Covenant Zealots at a research outpost. The Elites got away, possibly with some data critical to the war effort.

"I don't know." Carter replied. "Let's stick to the cover on the left side. If we can get close enough we should be able to blitz them before they can get the Phantoms off the ground."

Noble Team snuck through the foliage with little problems. Sporadic fire from the opposite buildings kept the Covenant's attention until they were right on top of the enemy emplacement. Jorge let loose with his M41 as Jun used his SRS 99 to take down the shields of a Brute minor. Carter's BR55 DMR put a trio of SAP-HE rounds through its head moments later. The Skirmisher's were quick to react to the attack, but the crossfire soon cut them down. A few ODSTs appeared in the windows before disappearing back into the shadows. Spartan's weren't the only ones to be stealthy as well as deadly.

"We're clear here Commander," Kat spoke.

"Then we'll take the door."

They quickly assumed assault positions as Jorge directed his massive chain gun to the door as Six and Emile took breaching positions.

Carter made a three count with his hand. On one, Emile took the door with his shotgun as Six rolled in and swept the room.

"CLEAR!"

The rest of Noble Team stormed in, with Kat following up the rear into a charnel house. All of the ONI personnel were dead, as were the Zealots and grunts of the Covenant forces. It was a perplexing site. He didn't think that ONI paper pushers were skilled enough to hold off a determined Zealot, let alone several of them.

"Commander," Emile knelt by one of the Zealot's bodies.

Carter moved over and knelt next to the CQB specialist. Emile rolled the Elite over to reveal several brute spiker rounds in its back.

"Family feud?" Emile looked around. "I don't see any Spikers lying around, and those are a bit heavy for an unaugmented human."

"First I've seen of this," Carter remarked. "You encounter anything like this Six?"

"Nope," Six kept his back to the wall. "

"Kat?" He looked to see his second working on a communication relay.

"Systems check out. Give me a minute to get everything back online." She replied.

"Let's finish our sweep before we get too comfortable."

A roar of a brute caused everyone to drop into a defensive stance as four of the monstrous aliens stormed into the room. Jorge immediately opened up with his M247H as Emile blasted one with his shotgun, followed up with a swift stab with his Kukri knife. Kat and Carter finished off a third as Six dealt with the fourth as Jun kneecapped it with his SRS99. The last ended up modern art on the far wall.

"How many Brutes do you think are left?" Jorge asked, clearing his weapon.

"Up to 30 per Phantom," Six replied. "Less if they're SpecOps."

"Great," Muttered Emile. "That is just what I wanted to hear."

The rest of the floor was clear. The upper floors were nothing but a façade to fool the civilians that lived and worked nearby. There were several subfloors beneath the Data Node where the sorting of intelligence took place, interlinked computer systems slaved to master computers hidden in the Malachite Mountains. The first penetration by Covenant forces locked down the network, sending a signal to its ONI masters that the enemy had come calling.

The floor to the main room exploded outward, sending the Spartans scattering for cover as three Brutes leapt out with Gravity Hammers. Jorge dropped his chain gun and caught the first hammer as it descended, leveraging the mass into a throw that sent the Brute crashing through a wall. Kat backpedaled quickly, her pistol taking careful aim and putting two rounds through a Brute's left eye. The last Brute managed to bring the hammer down, the gravitic impact sending Six and Emil into a wall. Carter opened up with his DMR into the back of the remaining Brute, sending it stumbling forward as Emil recovered and dispatched it with his Kukri.

A roar brought their attention back to the hole in the floor as a swarm of Kig-Yar boiled forth. Several more Brutes emerged behind them. Jorge charged forward, knocking the smaller aliens out of the way to engage one of the Brutes in hand to hand. The Kig-Yar shields weren't much defense in the close quarters of the safe house, and more often than not it proved to be a hindrance as Six executed a brutal CQB move that left a trail of dead and dying Kig-Yar using both his BR55 and a knife that would be considered a short sword to a normal Marine.

"KAT!" Carter shouted as a Brute Chieftain fired his spike rifle at the engaged Spartan. The first spiker round shattered against her shields, but the remaining four rounds broke through, leaving a trail of destruction up her right side with the last spike penetrating her helmet. She collapsed in a boneless heap as the Chieftain rushed for the door followed by his guards.

"He's getting away!" Six shouted, putting three rounds center mass into one of the fleeing guards.

"_Covenant Corvettes inbound," _a voice broadcast over the Hegemony frequencies. _"Any HAF unit in the vicinity converge on north sector of the city…"_

Outside the war has returned to New Alexandra.

"Emile, check Kat!" Carter shouted as he charged for the door. The scene outside was sheer chaos as two Hegemony tanks were firing on the sky. One of the Phantoms was burning and the other gone. A Covenant SDV Corvette was shadowed by two DAV Corvettes, the lighter two shielding the heavy corvette as Hegemony fighters and UNSC Wombats slugged it out with the two corvettes and their Banshee escorts. It was a lot of firepower to bring for a simple chieftain, and the implications did not bode well. One of the DAVs exploded under the assault as the SDV raced for orbit. The last turned, then lurched as explosions ripped through the side of the ship. It listed before crashing into a high rise to the west.

"Emile, how is she?" Carter asked.

"Not good boss," He replied. He had gotten the helmet off her, revealing extensive damage to her right eye as the spike penetrated at least four centimeters. "She's stable for now, but we need to get her to a MASH unit ASAP."

Carter switched to one of the Hegemony frequencies. "This is Spartan A259, requesting immediate med evac…one WIA."

Two Hegemony BattleMechs appeared on the scene, weapons tracking for any targets as two more tanks appeared, one of them an armored medical transport. Carter watched as the five armored figures emerged and approached the team.

"An awful lot of firepower for a single pickup," Emile spoke.

"We got a call from another UNSC unit right before yours," one of the medics spoke. "It's been a busy day."

"Tell me about it," Six spoke.

"How is she?" Carter asked one of the medics.

"Not good," He replied. "We need to get her to MASH unit asap."

"Emile, Six, sweep the base. I want to know what the Brutes were looking for and why they would kill Zealots to get it."

* * *

**HAFS Victory**

Mei Yan swore as the _Trickster_ dropped out of the TACNET and out of formation. The beam came from behind a Covenant Battlegroup, a focused energy beam that struck the _Trickster_ amidships. For the moment it seemed that the destroyer's shields would hold, but the beam quickly punched through the gravitic shields and plowed into the starboard armored belt. The nanofluidic armor focused on the point of impact in an attempt to hold off the beam, but it too failed as it too reached critical. The destroyer executed an emergency pivot as the beam tore into the hull and superstructure in an attempt to evade the blow. The energy beam carved a path along the starboard flank of the ship, leaving a trail of damaged and destroyed weapon bays and ruptures in the hull. A pair of tugs from the _Liverpool_ was already racing to secure the ship and tow it back to the YardShip. Intermittent links to the _Trickster_ showed quite a few causalities, but fortunately, few fatalities. She was happy that the biosuits that they all wore could provide limited protection from exposure to the vacuum, provided everyone was wearing their combat helmets.

Her screen lit up with the damage reports from the _Trickster_. A feed from the Revolution came to her secondary display, revealing Captain Rivera.

**::Admiral…::**

**::I saw it Captain. Take the Ares and Athena with you. Capture me that ship::**

**::Understood::**

**::Julia, do we have any access to Covenant systems?::**

**::We are in their systems, but we are still interpreting the networks. All we have access to are basic control systems. We can seal all hatches to prevent rapid responses against our marines::**

Mei Yan pondered…her mind racing through scenarios.

**::Can you lock all hatches and doors open?::**

**::We can…::**

**::As soon as the Revolution is in position, open and lock down all hatches in the Covenant fleet. Michelle, try to vent as many ships as possible::**

The massive Battlecruiser shifted to a higher orbit, followed by the two destroyers in question. As they reached the minimum safe distance all three ships assumed an assault formation and activated their KF drives.

**::Seeker, Wanderer, Trade Winds, and Cape Horn…move to bearing 024 and deploy screens::**

**::Graf Spee and Scharnhorst on the Victory::**

The Victory wheeled over, bringing her broadsides to bear along with that of the Admiral Graf Spee and Scharnhorst. All three ships coasted for a moment before opening fire. So far, only the armaments in the forward arcs were used, but that was about to change. The target was the closest Covenant Battlegroup. The four cruisers broke formation rolled, firing their screens into space. The screen launcher was a Davion invention, creating a 'mass' of material that blocked LOS and allowed for WarShips to maneuver to a better position. The latest versions of this defensive weapon not only interfered with line of sight targeting, but also added a huge amount of chaff and other countermeasures that would cause a great deal of problems for similar targeting systems. It was unknown how much it would interfere with Covenant fire control.

**::All fighters. Clear engagement zone::** Mei Yan sent through the TACNET.

She watched all of the fighters clear out of the WarShip's firing arc, the holotank showing a clear line of sight to the enemy battle group.

"FIRE!" She shouted.

She didn't have to shout or even say a word. The order could have been send through the TACNET like other orders. But there was something about a shouted command. Something that gave weight and meaning to an event. That and there was a real surge that came with giving the command to take a life, albeit a non human life.

The Neutron Pulse Lasers fired first, followed by the N-Plasma Cannons, N-PPCs, N-Gauss cannons, and Kraken heavy anti-ship missiles. The total firepower expended in that one moment was nearly equivalent to the Glassing of Harvest. The lighter Covenant ships exploded in rapid succession. The larger ships fared better, but they too were reduced to drifting hulks. The UNSC fleet added their own fire as well. Super MAC rounds burst through damage Covenant cruisers, sending debris and fragment splashing outward, causing further destruction and confusion.

The three WarShips fired again.

* * *

**Seeker of Truth**

Thel 'Vadamee stood in both shock and dismay. They were facing an enemy that was vastly superior to his forces. He worried a mandible as he the damage reports came in from both the planet and his remaining naval forces. The destroyer _Sword of Justice_ had been destroyed from an orbital warship with a precision that was far beyond Covenant capabilities. The cruiser _Tears of the Prophets_ was drifting beyond the enemy lines as what could only be described as Greater Demons, swarmed through her, killing everything they came across.

He had to make a decision soon. The Humans still had over fifty ships plus their cursed orbital cannons. The forces on the ground were being slaughtered like Kav 'stas. Great War Machines from the aliens swarmed the planet, and thousands of the Greater Demons spread chaos and terror wherever they appear. Ever since the war with the humans began there were many who whispered that humans should be brought into the Covenant, that their skills, determination, and honor were equal to the Sangheili's own.

A massive shockwave threatened to unseat him. He held on as the alarms blared, the damage reports flashing across his screen. The alien's directed energy weaponry was so much more powerful than the Covenants. Panic was beginning to set into the crews. It would not take much to cause a ship to flee, retreat into slipspace. If that happened the fleet would be routed. His attention was diverted momentarily to the bridge's hatches opening.

"Order all ships to regroup on my position," He ordered.

"As you order Supreme Commander."

"Where is that Corvette going?" Thel asked, pointing to the heavy corvette that was exiting the planet's atmosphere.

"Unknown Supreme Commander. It does not respond to our query."

"Identification?"

"Jiralhanae corvette _Dreamer in the Dark_." The Sangheili Minor turned. "It is part of Tartarus's fleet."

"Tartarus?"

Thel leaned back into his command seat and watched as the ships began to converge. He glanced backwards.

_Why has not the hatch closed?_

* * *

**HAFS Revolution**

At the heart of the Covenant's second division space warped as the three WarShips appeared close to the Covenant super cruiser. The two destroyers fired their disruptors at the Covenant heavy while the Battlecruiser fired on the cruiser's escorts.

Michelle nodded to herself in grim satisfaction as the massive Covenant ship's power systems flicker, then die as the smaller Covenant destroyers and corvettes were driven away or destroyed

"Ahead flank speed," She ordered. "All ships standby to deploy battle armor."

The ship rocked as several Covenant light cruisers fired, only soring minimal damage on the ship's armor. Automatic repair systems engaged to reinforce the ship's armor as more plasma bled through the shields.

"Ma'am, thirty seconds to target," Her XO said.

"Open drop bays, signal the Marines to stand by."

"Captain, we're tracking fifteen contacts in the enemy fleet that have been vented."

She nodded. "Mark for capture. Our prize is the enemy heavy."

"All ships report ready to deploy."

All three WarShips ghosted silently over the stricken Covenant cruiser.

"Execute combat drop," She ordered.

Three hundred battle armored marines launched into the void and down to the ship below.

* * *

**The Armory**

General Mei Fang held on as the 100 ton 'Mech landed right on top of the Covenant Tank. Fire and metal erupted around the legs, carbon scoring the legs. She swung the torso sharply to the right, the 'Mech's right arm reaching out and sending a blast of superheated plasma down the narrow alleyway. The Covenant Phantom exploded into fragments as the beam struck the open crew compartment. Green explosions of methane gas contrast against the bright red fireball.

"All 'Mechs, force the invaders to the west and link up with the Armor and remaining Battle Armor points." Mei ordered.

Overhead they pretty much had aerospace superiority as the 49th's aerospace fighters had swept the skies of the Covenant. Covenant DropShips had to stay nap of the earth in order to avoid the flights of Hegemony fighters that orbited the battlespace. It was turning into a brutal street to street fight. She spun her 'Mech around as a lance of _M1 Marksman_ Assault Tanks rumbled onto the field. The lead tank was painted bright red with a bizarre rainbow color scheme along the armored track runners. It was famous across a hundred battlefields and was the command tank for the 49th's armor regiments for the past fifty years. The Rainbow Tank, it was called…pride and joy of General Robert Gordon.

"You're late," Mei said, throttling her 'Mech into a walk as the M1 Marksman pulled alongside.

"These Covenant decided to try and stop us as we rode into the city." He relied. "We had to stop to spray the goo off the treads."

"I have a feeling these aliens are used to having absolute superiority on the battlefield." She replied. "We've managed to capture quite a bit of salvage for the techs to go over."

"Several R-Teams came down with us and were already engaging in salvage operations before we made contact with the enemy." She could hear him laugh. "A wrench in one hand and a Mauser IIc in the other."

The rest of her lance joined her at the major intersection. The lance of M1 Marksmans led by the Rainbow Tank pulled hard right and lined up abreast, firing their missiles downrange as they charged, followed by their Hyper Assault Gauss Rifles. A Covenant Locust was slammed against a building by the repeated impacts of the hypersonic rounds before suffering a critical hit and exploding.

Mei pulled up her TACNET interface and started coordinating all of her assets in the battlespace.

**::Engage targets of priority as follows, Quads, Armor, 'Hunters', and 'Elites'. Be advised do not shoot the floating gas bags::**

She switched her link to the flagship.

**::Admiral, we have begun to drive the enemy out of the city. I cannot say that there will be much left once we are finished::**

**::Confirmed General. The Covenant Fleet is pulling back and regrouping. We have paused in our attack, but they are still in range of our NPLs::**

**::Why do I get the feeling you are handing them rope::**

**::There is much more going on here than a simple invasion. I'm waiting on the report from Thad onboard the Heinlein::**

**::Do you have any orders Admiral::**

**::I want prisoners::**

* * *

**HAF MASH Unit 'Hawkeye'**

**New Alexandra**

Captain Mary Steiner, MD, was no stranger to battlefield wounds. Her latest patient was something of an enigma, one of the UNSC's super soldiers. A cursory scan of her patient revealed extensive genetic modification, with a laundry list of injuries leading up to a lost right arm. As far as cybernetics went it was extremely primitive, more brute force than anything else. On top of everything else, the armor had to go.

"Commander Carter is it?" She asked the dark blue Spartan. "We need to get her out of her armor for treatment. Is there a specific way to remove it?"

He stood still for a moment before moving to the table and releasing the locks that held the armor together. From there it was a simple process of removing the outer layer of armor until all that remained was the inner sheath. Mary pulled down a full body scanner and activated it, watching as the full extent of damage was revealed. It was a roadmap of destruction that went from the Spartan's legs to her head, old wounds mixed with fresh. Burns from plasma and friction covered her arms and torso, and the more damaging puncture wounds caused the most worry since they penetrated hot and scarred the underlying tissue.

"Is this a good idea?" The largest of the Spartans asked from the door.

"I'll take the heat Jorge," Carter replied. "Doctor, is there a way to stabilize her until we can get her to a UNSC facility?"

Mary frowned. "She is barely holding on as it is Commander. Your augmentations are not dissimilar to our own ground forces. We'll need a type two nanomed kit and a class three right arm." This to a nurse.

Mary picked up a small scanner and ran it over Kat's head. "We'll need a right eye as well."

"Yes doctor," The nurse turned to one of the stations.

Mary looked at the hovering Spartans. "You should get some rest and food. We're going to be here for quite a while."

Carter remained at the door as the doctor worked. He sent the rest of the team to get some food as he corralled a UNSC Marine with a com unit. Connecting with Col. Holland took some time as the security protocols worked through to connect with the Army Operations Center.

"_What do you have for me Commander?"_

"The Covenant had a family feud at the Data Node. Covenant Zealot team KIA'd by Brutes. Emile and Six swept the base and found that they accessed several star charts and copied some ONI data. Zealots may have been the ones that raided Dr. Halsey's facility.

"_Understood. Hegemony forces chased the Corvette into low orbit where it made a slipspace jump. What is Noble's status?"_

"Noble Two is WIA. She is being treated by HAF MASH unit right now until we can move her to CASTLE. The rest of Noble Team is green."

"_That doesn't reassure me."_

"Yes sir. The doctor treating her let it slip that the Hegemony ground forces were augmented in a similar fashion."

"_Keep an eye on what is going on Commander. I want a full report when you bring Kat home."_

"Yes sir," Carter replied. He replaced the com unit and sent the Marine off and turned back to his wounded second. Her right arm was gone, replaced with something more ascetically pleasing to the eye, but he was sure that it would be just as capable as her old arm. The spikes were gone, replaced by fresh, pink skin. A bandage covered her right eye.

"Commander, she will be ready for transport in two hours," The HAF doctor reported. "We just need to let the nanomeds finish working."

"Will she be ready for duty?"

"Some of the damage to her body affected her augmentation Commander. As a precaution we had to remove some of them and limit the others so she would survive."

"What are you saying?"

"Her body has been restored to a pre-augment state. She isn't a Spartan anymore."

* * *

**Covenant Scarab 'Isorla' **

Katya had to stop herself from scratching. The pain was bearable, but the nanites in her blood and bone worked to repair the more serious damage to her organs. She had her helmet off and spit a streamer of blood as the battle was pushed away from the generators when the familiar pressure of an incoming signal flared along her implants

**::Orders from on high boys::** General Fang reported over the TACNET. **::The Admiral wants prisoners::**

She stood slowly.

"Let's mount up people. They are not going to surrender on their own."

* * *

**CASTLE Base, Menachite Mountain**

Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb leaned over the tactical display, the golden light playing across his features. The base was at full alert ever since the Covenant appeared in system, and was the designated rally point for the Spartans should the Planetary Defense Generator fall. So far the UNSC was holding, but only because of the new arrivals in the form of the HAF 71st Assault Wing. Not only were they shoring up the defenses both in orbit and on the ground, they were forcing the Covenant to retreat and regroup. He had to step on ONI from trying to infiltrate their computer systems, but from the report from Admiral Freemont, he wasn't sure that a Smart AI could penetrate their firewall.

"What is the status of the Fleet?" He stepped back from the display.

"We have forty six ships at full combat readiness. Admiral Freemont has transferred his flag to the _Thermopylae_ and is currently getting his ships rearmed. Spartan Blue Team is still on board the Pillar of Autumn and is itching for deployment." Captain Carstairs, his aide de camp, reported

"Contact Captain Keyes and confirm their orders."

"Yes sir." The officer saluted and retreated a civilian entered the war room. Not just any civilian could simply walk around in ONI's most secure base, but the creator of the Spartan Program had more clearance than he did.

"Dr. Halsey," He nodded her.

"Admiral," She inclined her head in response. "I understand we have more than just Covenant in orbit."

"They are human, but not any human I've ever seen." He replied. He brought up the transmission between Admiral Freemont and Admiral Ren. Dr. Catherine Halsey peered closely at the woman, particularly her face.

"Some kind of implants on her face," She said. "This is a hologram of the actual woman?"

He nodded. "She managed to bypass Lord Nelson and speak with Admiral Freemont directly."

"Their computer and networking abilities must be phenomenal. Do they have AIs?"

"Unknown." Danforth replied. "ONI is currently going crazy trying to figure out if they are a threat to us."

"Considering the fact that they are currently keeping Reach from being glassed, I would tell ONI to…'put a lid on it' as it were." Catherine replied.

"I have already stepped on Colonel Ackerson hard. Team Noble fought alongside one of their Battle Armor units at the PDG. Command Carter also ran into several units in New Alexandra as well as a group of support elements near the ONI Data Node 343." The hologram shifted to show the battlefield. The view pulled back to show the disposition of forces. UNSC forces were in blue, and they were concentrated on the PDG, The Armory, and the spaceport. The Covenant forces were in red, and they were attempting to surround the UNSC forces. The 71st was colored green, and they were always in motion. There did not seem to be a pattern or a plan to their movements, just find the largest concentration of enemy forces and eliminate them.

"Do they have any other 'battle armor' on the field?"

"We've spotted a much heavier unit moving with their tanks and artillery. And Master Sergeant Johnson was on board Station Gamma when he encountered two other designs. Commander Carter and Team Noble encountered a support type armor during their investigation of the ONI Base in New Alexandra. I would suspect that there are still more different models of their battle armor in their TOE. If we can make it through this battle without more Covenant Forces arriving, we can ask them."

* * *

**HAFS Heinlein**

The science labs of the ship were in full operation as the 800,000 ton science vessel, and the external bays were open with their probes and relays fully extended. The ship stayed close enough to be in the defense area of the Assault Wing, but far enough back that they could get good readings of their jump point as well as the enemy ahead of them. They were also the largest target in the system because of their emissions. One would have thought an entire fleet couldn't put out the signals the science ship was generating.

But it was for a purpose. Ever since they jumped to Epsilon Eridani they were hard at work trying to figure out what happened during the jump that brought them here, not to mention analyzing the data that was coming in from the WarShip sensors, the R-Teams on the ground, and the Boarding parties that were finishing up their task of capturing an enemy ship.

At the heart of it was the Captain of the Heinlein. He was a scientist and engineer as well as the captain, and was well suited for his role. It was a delightful puzzle, their jump to this world. He had an idea as to what happened during the jump, but until he had more data, he could not say for certain what exactly happened. In theory, trans-dimensional travel was possible, in fact, it was postulated that a certain percentage of all miss-jumps were in fact trans-dimensional jumps in nature. Hyperspacial physics were of interest to him, especially theories dealing with parallel realities and what could only be described as the 'multi-verse'. He maintained multiple streams of data coming through the ship's network which gave him a feel for the 'rules' of this place.

"Sir?" Dr. Llewellyn Donovan, his senior analyst, spoke.

"Here," he pointed to the data stream. "Right at the apex of the jump."

"The gravitational forces were off the chart." He replied. "What could-"

"A cosmic string or string fragment." He finished. "There was a paper that theorized what would happen when a K-F jump field intersected with a two-dimensional gravitational anomaly."

"I remember." Llewellyn replied. "If I recall, the paper also stated that the gravitational forces of such a transit would destroy any ship that made the journey."

"Ah, but they did not account for regenerative armor and gravitic shielding." He smiled.

"Sir, message from the flagship," A tech reported.

"Patch it through," He replied.

The holotank blurred momentarily as Admiral Ren appeared.

"Dr. Halsey, what is your status?"

* * *

**49th Forward Command **

General Mei Fang gulped down the juice and sandwich the tech handed to her in the cockpit. The tactical data feed was relaying up to the minute information on enemy troop movements courtesy of the Mobile HQ that was parked to the left of her 'Mech. A pair of LAMs raced by at treetop level, providing overwatch support for the Mobile HQ as the enemy might try to penetrate their outer defense perimeter. Five kilometer behind them the 1st Artillery Battalion was already launching their long range missiles towards the middle and the rear of the Covenant forces threatening the spaceport with heavy plasma warheads. She could see large transports lifting off filled with civilians that were being evacuated off world. A combination of UNSC aerospace and Aerospace fighters from the _Spatha_ and the _Clibanari _escorted the transports, and as soon as the ships cleared orbit they jumped, something that was in the capabilities of the Hegemony WarShips, but not planetary landings.

One of the techs leaned into the open cockpit. "You're reloaded General. We've replaced the armor plating on the left torso and re-synched your TACNET interface so you're clear to engage."

She handed the remains of her lunch back up to the tech. "Thank you Chief."

He buttoned the hatch back up and pulled up the ramp of the gantry. Her 'Mech restarted instantly and she throttled the machine forward slowly to clear the mobile repair bay. The rest of the Command Company was already in motion behind her as they cleared the HQ perimeter. The TACNET showed her the complete picture of the battle. It was winding down. With no reinforcements for the Covenant it was turning into a meat grinder as they couldn't replace their forces that were expended against the combined defenses of the UNSC and the 49th Heavy Cav. So far the losses were minimal for the BattleMechs, but the infantry was taking a pounding. Losses were also minimal, but the casualties were going to be laid up for months with recovery.

"This is General Fang to all units, execute Banshee, repeat, execute Banshee." She ordered, and then switched frequencies. "This is General Fang to all UNSC forces. Pull back to your secondary rally points."

"This is General Lewis of the 45th UNSC Fleet Marine Regiment. Please confirm your request."

"General Lewis, in about ten minutes we are going to kill every living thing in front of us. Pull your people back now!"

Banshee was a total war plan. Upon the receipt of a Banshee order, all Hegemony forces are to execute a full frontal assault on all enemy forces with the sole intent of wiping them out completely. There would be no respite, no surrenders accepted. Any and all weapons were to be used in the assault including weapons of mass destruction with the exception of 'Special' munitions. 'Specials' were only used on the authorization of the senior most officers on site. Mei knew that Admiral Ren wouldn't authorize their use in this instance due to the fact that there were still too many civilians on planet. Artillery crews were switching out their standard HEAP rounds with FAE and NOVA rounds. Those aerospace assets able to land and rearm were equipped with enough bombs to slow them down considerably. This was the end.

* * *

**HAF Victory**

Mei Yan listened to General Fang's order and agreed with it. The battle had gone on for too long and it was time to end it.

"Recall all bombers and prepare to load _Alamo IVs _&_ Vs_." She ordered. She crossed the bridge to her station and sat down in her chair. Quickly she removed her left glove and pressed her hand into the console. She felt the panel sink and several needles stab into her palm. She gave no reaction to the pain or the penetration, but waited as the computer worked.

"Computer," she spoke. "Authorization Lambda Sigma Seven Four Eight Five one Epsilon…Let the Shadows Fall."

In the ship's magazine several locks clicked open as bay crews moved their carts into position. All of them were nervous, but these were only Fusion Weapons. What really scared them was locked at the back of Magazine behind four heavy blast doors and heavy magnetic seals. The blast doors slid up to reveal one hundred heavy missiles and one hundred boxes locked into wall receptacles. The main detonators were always kept separate from the warhead to prevent accidents, and the crews quickly moved twenty missiles from the bay and towed them towards the lift to the flight deck. A second crew came in and unlocked the wall unit to remove the detonators for the missiles. Once the missiles were loaded onto the bombers they would be fitted with their detonators and the bomber would launch immediately. No one wanted hundreds of gigatons in warheads to go off in an enclosed space.

"Open a channel to Admiral Freemont." Mei Yan ordered. She waited a moment for the connection to go through before his face appeared in the holotank.

"Admiral Ren," He nodded.

"Pull all of your ships back as far as you can," She said. "Prepare for radiation bursts."

"Is this in response to your ground forces?"

"General Fang is going to clear the planet. I am going to clear the aerospace." She replied. "Once this is over, I will need to speak with you and your command staff."

"Agreed," He replied. "Good hunting Admiral."

The link closed and she turned to her tactical officer. "Implement Case X throughout the Fleet."

The primary bomber for the Hegemony Armed Forces was the _Athena Mk III_. Like the previous versions before it, it was built for speed and defense and equipped with the latest version of the Void Signature System. She could carry enough bombs to level a city block, but this mission she was carrying what she was designed to. The Void Signature System was a camouflage system that made the ship literally invisible to both enemy sensors and visual scanning. It only took minutes for the bay crews to load each fighter with a missile and arm it. Strike plans were loaded into each fighter's NAVCOM with their targeting assignments and each Athena was launched from the Victory towards their rally points. Two stars of bombers went dark as they entered formation and accelerated towards the distant Covenant Fleet.

* * *

**Mountains of Reach**

"We have a deadline people," Katya told her point. "General Fang is bringing the hammer down."

The other members of her point nodded and readied their weapons. Ever since they left Team Noble they moved rapidly towards the enemy's rear in order to gather intelligence in preparation for their mission. They were still under orders to find a prisoner for the Admiral, and with General Fang going to kill every living thing before her, time was not on their side. WMDs were not going to be used in the offensive, especially the 'Specials'. The damage to the planet was bad enough as it was without adding more suffering.

They made their way along the ridgeline. The Spartan Mk IV had limited camouflage capabilities with its regenerative armor, but movement made them more visible than not. They found a staging area used by the Covenant with a single light DropShip and some black armored troops around it, including an Elite. There were none of the 'Hunter' around that they could see, but plenty of the 'Grunts'.

Katya knelt down and gathered her point around her.

"Arm your SRMs for full dispersal over the target zone." She ordered. "If one of them tries to leave the containment zone before the nerve agent takes affect then eliminate them."

"The 'Elite' is the priority target, quiaff?"

"Aff," She replied. "Set your Force Maul for a stun setting. We will take some of the 'Grunts' as well for a baseline."

The five troops dispersed and knelt down. On Katya's signal, they launched their SRMs towards the target. The Covenant troops immediately scattered as the short ranged missiles exploded overhead. The nerve agent used was designed for pacification, and it would disrupt the neural pathways that controlled motor functions. The agent would affect any living thing that breathed oxygen, and its affect on the Grunts was unknown since they were methane breathers. To her surprise, they didn't scatter in panic but reacted like well trained troops. The agent worked on skin contact as well, and the Elite dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

She leapt forward into the small encampment, her plasma carbine spitting out death to any that would fight back. It only took minutes for the resistance to be eliminated. Half the Grunts were killed, but half were captured along with the Elite that led them.

"This is Storm One to Damocles, request immediate extraction at the following coordinates for one point plus packages."

"Confirmed Storm One. Outrider Three Zero inbound to your position. ETA zero two minutes." Damocles Command replied. Her visor could pick up the form of the VTOL in the distance.

"Roger Damocles. Popping smoke now."

* * *

**Covenant Special Ops Staging Area**

N'tho 'Sraomee rolled at the missiles exploded overhead. He barked orders to the Grunts under his command and readied his Plasma Rifle for the assault that was sure to follow. An odd, sickening smell penetrated his nostrils as he watched five of the 'Greater Demons' leap from the ridgeline. He shook his head as the smell became more pronounced, his vision blurring. His first combat command was to be his last as he finally fell to the ground, unable to move. The Greater Demons were fast and professional, elegant and deadly in their purpose. Those Grunts who were not killed were stunned by their strange weapons, and the roar of engines was the last thing he heard as the lead Demon reached down and pressed something against his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 5**

**Pillar of Autumn**

Master Chief John-117 looked at the other Spartans in the Cryo room in the bowels of the ancient Halcyon class Cruiser. They were all ready for combat should the need arise, and they were originally ordered to deploy to the surface in defense of the Planetary Defense Generators when the Covenant made their first push, but the arrival of the 71st and their subsequent orbital drop of combat forces alleviated the need for their deployment and so they were sidelined.

None of them liked it. They were soldiers and their place was on the battlefield.

"Do we have a Mission sir?" Linda-058 asked, loading rounds into a sniper rifle magazine. James-005 sat on a nearby crate, sharpening a knife.

"Our original mission stands, but we have been ordered into cryo because our allies are about to use some nukes." John replied. "All Spartan ground teams hve rallied to CASTLE Base with their wounded and is awaiting the end to the ground offensive.

"I don't get it," James replied. "Why sideline us?"

"We don't know how long the 71st will be here," Cortana said, flashing into existence from a holo-projector. "If we can keep as many Spartans alive as possible that is a good thing. Don't worry, we still have a date with one of the Prophets."

"Let's lock it down," John said. "It's not going to take long for whatever stealth bombers they are using to get into an optimal firing position."

"I hope the others are having more fun than we are," Linda climbed into a tube. James followed climbing into a nearby tube as John climbed into the last.

"I really don't see the need for us to enter hibernation," John mentioned to Cortana.

"Chief, we've been using _Shivas_ against the Covenant since the get go. The 71st is only using nukes as a last resort."

"That tells me either they strict protocols with their use or they don't have many."

"Or they are so powerful that they could flash fry anything in range." Cortana retorted. "I'll tell you what happens."

"Alright," He lay back as the tube closed. All three were quickly in hibernation for the coming Armageddon. Cortana flashed from the cryo room to the bridge where Captain Keyes was getting everyone in radiation suits. The computer core was entering lockdown mode for possible EMPs, and she could see the crew working quickly and professionally. There wasn't any panic or fear in their actions, but for the first time she could see the relief in not having to abandon another planet to the Covenant.

"How are they doing Cortana?" Jacob asked.

"They're in the cryo tubes for a short nap. If we pull back any further we'll be enter the atmosphere." She replied.

"The MAC platforms are still fully crewed. Everyone onboard volunteered to stay. How many ships does the Covenant have left?"

"Eighty six ships left, not counting the fifteen ships currently dead in space courtesy of the 71st. We have seventy four ships remaining as well as seventy percent of the MAC platforms. Planetary Defenses are at eighty four percent." She reported. "If it wasn't for the arrival of the 71st, we'd probably be picking up the pieces and making a run for it right about now."

A flash of light heralded the destruction of Gamma Station as one of the 71st's destroyers laid into it with a broadside. The Cole Protocol violation was ended quite spectacularly.

"What do you think about our _allies_?"

"I'm not sure I have enough information to make an assessment. They have powerful ships and weapons, but they are limited in number. Weapons are similar to that of the Covenant but much more powerful and effective. I would hate to see what they face off against where they come from. Not sure if they have AIs, but all of their personnel seem to be heavily augmented with neural interfaces."

"Let's hope-"

The bridge's window polarized, but that didn't help as the flash penetrated the darkened window and forced everyone to shut their eyes and turn away.

* * *

**Seeker of Truth**

The flash told Thel 'Vadamee that the battle was lost. Four CSS cruisers vanished in the initial blast, which was orders of magnitude greater than any human weapon. Ships nearby the blast were tossed out the way by the shockwave, crashing into other ships of the Fleet. A second blast rocked the Fleet. More ships destroyed. The sensors were being jammed by very powerful beams coming from the alien fleet, and he knew that there had to be enemy fighters out there.

"Set all pulse lasers for saturation fire," He ordered.

"We have no targeting on enemy missiles," A minor Elite spoke.

"If we do not fire we are all dead." He replied. "Order all ships to begin saturation fire."

Six ships broke formation and charged the alien fleet. Thel noted that they were crewed by the Jiralhanae and snorted in derision. Brutes were only good for stopping enemy fire so the true warriors could gain glory. He barked a sharp laugh as all six ships disappeared in nuclear fireballs. Several explosions occurred on the outskirts of the remaining fleet vessels as all of the ships began firing. Another blast rocked the fleet, destroying more of his precious fleet and threatening to rout the fleet. He knew the battle was lost. The last signal they received from the ground forces was that most of the senior commanders were dead and the aliens launching a massive assault with no regard for losses or tactics.

He watched the tactical display and brooded. On one hand, a glorious death would absolve him of any responsibility for the battle, but then the Prophets would have not firm knowledge of this new enemy.

"Send to all ships," He began. "Retreat to the Staging Point."

The crew stopped their work and stared at the Supreme Commander for a moment, before rushing to their tasks. It only took moments for the ship to come about and open a slipspace point and leave the system. Six more Covenant ships fell to the nuclear barrage before the remaining Covenant ships jumped. The staging point lay along the route to one of the Sacred Rings. The Covenant Fleet was preparing a secondary staging area in the system the humans called Tau Ceti. Very soon a fleet of warships would be gathering along with the _Unyielding Hierophant_, a massive space station second only to _High Charity_.

He knew there would be consequences to this action.

* * *

**Thermopylae **

Admiral Freemont held on as the shockwaves rocked the Marathon class Cruiser. The displays flickered as the EMP wave followed. The ship had minor damage from earlier in the battle, but it was the one of the most powerful ships remaining in the Eridani Fleet. Several massive nuclear blasts decimated the Covenant Fleet, the weapons were much larger than the Shivas that were the heaviest nuclear weapons used by the UNSC. He held on as the shockwaves passed, forcing a reboot of the ship's computer and AI.

"Admiral…the Covenant is retreating…" His aide stammered.

He watched the flickering display as slipspace ruptures carried the remaining Covenant ships away from the battle. The ships of the 71st were directly ahead of the Eridani Fleet, providing a kind of breakwater from the more powerful shockwaves of the blasts.

"What is the status of the ground battle?" Robert asked.

"The 49th is grinding the remaining Covenant forces into the dust." His Aide replied. "Admiral Whitcomb is working with the 49th's commander to secure the planet. All forces are converging on the Verity Plains."

Robert rubbed his eyes. "What are our losses?"

"We lost half the Eridani Fleet, but it could have been a total loss. Three orbital repair yards and three stations have been destroyed as well as four MAC platforms. We are getting signals from Circumstance, Tribute, and Beta Gabriel indicating that they are maintaining a low profile, but only minor damage to Tribute's orbital facilities. There are fifteen Covenant ships drifting in L5 orbit, with two ships being towed away by tugs from the 71st."

"Get any free ODST and Marine to those ships and take them," Robert ordered.

"Sir?"

"The Covenant will be back, and if we can capture those ships they will give us an advantage when the Covenant comes calling again."

"Yes sir." The aide retreated to the Com station.

Leonidas, the _Thermopylae's_ AI, flickered to life in the holo table. He was dressed like his ancient namesake, but had a very urbane mannerism.

"Admiral, all systems are reporting ready. The damage to the forward Archer Pods has been repaired and the starboard armor plating has been reinforced."

"Very good." He nodded. "Can you get me Admiral Ren onboard the _Victory_?"

"I will endeavour to make the connection sir," Leonidas replied. He seemed to shimmer for a moment before disappearing, only to be replaced by Admiral Ren.

"_Admiral Freemont."_ She replied. _"Please keep your ships away from the battle zone for at least twelve hours for the ambient radiation to return to normal."_

"Thank you for your assistance Admiral. If you haven't arrived, we would have lost the planet."

She nodded. _"Would six hours be enough time before we meet?"_

"That would be acceptable," he replied. "Is it safe to send Marines to those Covenant ships? I would like to capture them and add them to our defenses here."

"_It should be alright,"_ She replied. _"We managed to vent most of the ships, but there may always be holdouts."_

"Thank you again," He replied.

* * *

**Reach**

**Verity Plains**

It was the smell that everyone would remember. As the battle drew to a close, the alien bodies were tossed on pyres, some still alive and kicking. The 49th maintained a calm, no nonsense attitude through it all, giving rise to the thought that they, too, had seen this all before. The civilians had all fled the area, only a few choosing to remain as the rest fled off world to rally points where they would wait for a guide to the Inner Colonies. Marines and Army personnel watched silently as the bodies were burned, and a few had to turn away as an Elite with his legs cut off at the upper knee joint was casually killed with a stomp to the head from one of the Battle Armored warriors from the 49th.

Many were glad it was the Covenant that was burning and not Reach. The initial bombardment started with a ripple barrage of plasma and FAE warheads against the rear areas of the Covenant forces. The precision guided munitions turned the landscape into a scene from Dante's Inferno. The surviving Covenant forces ran straight into the teeth of the advancing 49th Heavy Cav. BattleMechs, Tanks, Battle Armor, VTOLs, and Aerospace fighters maintained a steady advance, the 'Mechs functioning as a heavy assault force, backed up by tanks and aerospace. Battle Armor and VTOLs brought up the rear, dealing with any survivors that might slip through the slow moving forces.

Vice Admiral Whitcomb watched it all. The staff of the war room worked in hushed tones as he paced in front of the table, Commander Carter-259 of the Spartans standing nearby. All of the Spartans on planet survived the assault, with the wounded currently under the care of Dr. Halsey. Beside Carter was Lt. Frederic-104, who had deployed from orbit just as the 49th was making their combat drop. Blue Team linked up with Noble Team right after the Covenant Scarab was captured, but instead of having the combined teams enter the battle, Blue Team was ordered to secure several VIPs and escort them to CASTLE Base. Once all the personnel made it to the mountain fortress, the rest of the Spartan teams trickled in from the front.

"What are your thoughts about the 49th Colonel you met at the generator?" Dan asked.

"She was a very professional soldier sir." Carter replied. "Even a thrust from a Covenant Plasma Sword didn't slow her down much."

"Could you take her in a fight?"

"Possibly," Carter rubbed his chin. "We still don't know the full capabilities of their armor apart from the fact that it can leap ninety meters, mount heavy energy and projectile weapons, and has self-sealing armor."

"Perhaps there is something we are not seeing," Frederic spoke.

"What is on your mind Lieutenant?" Dan said.

"The larger armored units, the ones they call BattleMechs, use pilots in armored suits. They are very effective against tanks, aerospace, fortifications, and other robots, but they were vulnerable to infantry tactics. What if in their TOE the Battle Armor units are to counter an opponent's BattleMechs?"

"That is a very astute observation," Dan replied. "Is there anything else that you noticed?"

"They are no strangers to fighting a fanatic enemy." Frederic said.

"I'm curious as to where they are from." Carter spoke. "I worry that wherever they are from they might have enemies that might follow them."

"We'll find out when their fleet commander arrives in three hours." Dan spoke. "I want every available Spartan to provide security for our people."

"Where are we meeting them?" Frederic asked.

"We'll meet at the New Alexandra Spaceport," Dan replied. "Admiral Freemont will be arriving in an hour to make his report and sit in on the meeting. Once the meeting is over I want you and Blue Team to return to the Pillar of Autumn to await your orders."

"Yes sir." Frederic nodded. "Will we be undertaking our original mission sir?"

"That has yet to be decided." Dan replied. "We can only assume that they will return with a larger fleet to take Reach. Most of the civilians will have to be evacuated from the system, and we lucked out when the 71st arrived when they did."

"Do we have an idea of their losses?" Carter asked.

"We know that one of their destroyers was damaged, but that monstrosity that has been hiding behind the fleet is one of their mobile shipyards. The Covenant ships they captured are currently docked alongside her and the Destroyer is cradled in a lower repair bay." Dan shook his head. "As for ground losses I am not sure. They have had combat engineers moving all over the battlefield since they landed, and any of their equipment that was destroyed they stripped it down to the frame and hauled the parts off."

"That either says they are paranoid about losing their technology or are big on recycling." Frederic said. "I don't know why ONI has a hard on about them being insurrectionists, but if the innies had that level of technology at the beginning they would have broken away before the Spartans came online."

"With your permission sir," Carter spoke. "I'd like to check on Kat."

She survived her wounds, but the treatment given by the Hegemony removed all the enhancements made through the Spartan III Program. Dr. Halsey was studying the effects of the nanotechnology on her with the hopes of being able to restore her to active duty.

The Admiral nodded. "Dismissed Commander."

Carter found Kat in the secure medical wing of the ONI facility. She was currently being wheeled out of an MRI and into the corridor when he approached.

"How are you holding up Kat?" He asked, falling in along side her.

"I feel weak," She replied. She rubbed the spot where her right arm used to be. ONI removed it shortly after she arrived to study it, but Carter suspected they were being their usual, paranoid selves.

"Dr. Halsey doesn't think I should attempt the augmentation process again," Kat spoke. "I've gotten older and my body may not be able to handle the stress of a second augmentation process."

"I'm sure Halsey can figure out something. If the Hegemony can restore you using nanotech, then they can bring you back to speed using the same technology."

"If they feel generous," Kat snorted. "Colonel Holland came by."

"I'll be reporting to him next."

"He said he will have me assigned to his staff if I cannot return to active duty."

Carter knew that Kat would hate a desk job. Being a Spartan was the totality of her existence, and to be in such a state he wondered if it would not be kinder to let her die during the last battle.

"Don't give up yet Kat."

* * *

**HAFS Victory**

Mei Yan looked up from the PDA to the white coated man before her. The information displayed gave the best theory as to their present predicament, and it wasn't something that would be bandied about lightly by the scientists of the Heinlein.

"Is this-"

"-the best answer we could come up with that fits the current facts? Yes Admiral." Dr. Thaddeus Halsey replied.

"I am meeting with the commanders of the UNSC in a few hours. I would like you to come down with us."

"I would be honored Admiral." Thaddeus replied. "I assume we will be flying down in Hornets?"

"It'll give you an excuse to show off the flying skills you brag to us _oh_ so often," She smiled and turned to her XO, Captain Morgan Serrano. "Do we have an AAR?"

"Admiral, the _Liverpool_ reports that the _Trickster_ will be laid up for another eight hours before she will be able to leave the repair bay. The _Trickster_ reports fifteen fatalities among her gunnery crews and thirty four injured crewmembers. The rest of the fleet reports a total of four fatalities and forty seven casualties. Fifteen Aerospace pilots were lost along with thirty four aerospace fighters. All ships report minor damage taken during the battle has already been repaired. The alien ships are being studied by the engineers of the Liverpool and we have several examples of alien technology recovered by the R-Teams."

"What about the 49th?"

"General Fang reports two MechWarriors, twenty seven Battle Armor soldiers, three tank crews, and a VTOL was lost in the battle. We have four hundred casualties that have been transferred to the McCaffery and we have recovered nearly all of our destroyed equipment."

"We got off light Captain," Mei Yan replied.

"Admiral?"

"The alien WarShips are on a whole 'nother level. They should have defeated us quite easily." She brought up a secondary display. "If they were fighting at one hundred percent they could have easily shattered our shields."

"Reports from the far side of Eridani say the Covenant used sustained plasma beams to burn the surface of the planet. The heavy cruiser we captured mounted a heavier version of the weapon on its bow instead of its ventral surface," Morgan replied. "However the weapon was only operating at twenty five percent."

"We will need to pick our battles carefully Morgan. We do not have the luxury of the rest of Hegemony Fleet to back us up."

"I will have the department heads draw up contingency plans in any event."

"Alright." Mei Yan set down her PDA. "And our 'guests'?"

"They are unconscious, but alive. Medical is currently mapping their genome and seeing what make them tick. The _Ares_ still has guests from the space station." He replied. "Your orders?"

"Maintain a CAP at all times as well as STORMDOOR. They may be human down there, but not our humans. Contact _Ares_ and have them drop their guests off asap."

"Ma'am, ELINT reports twenty four different attempts to penetrate our networks during the battle from the planet. Is it wise to meet with them?"

* * *

**Reach Military Spaceport**

**New Alexandra**

There was still wreckage on the field. A UNSC Frigate, her spine snapped, blocked off part of the spaceport's landing field, but most of the larger gantries were clear. A majority of the 49th's personnel were south of the city and spaceport in their encampment, massive DropShips could be seen lifting off and landing regularly as additional troops were ferried down and the casualties ferried up to the 71st Fleet. But everyone's attention was focused on one of the hangers of the spaceport. Fourteen Spartans were present on the field, as well as a company of ODST. The entire command of Reach was present in the hanger, with the interior converted to an impromptu command center. They were waiting for the arrival of their saviors in the form of Admiral Mei Yan Ren, who was scheduled to land at any time. The air still smelled of burnt meat.

An APC from the 49th pulled up and powered down, the hovercraft's skirt coming to rest against the heavy steel reinforced concrete. Hovercraft weren't used a lot in the UNSC apart from occasional civilian use, and a combat hovercraft was a complete unknown. It was predatory in appearance, painted in the unit's colors of Olive Drab with Red stripes along the left side. A ramp in the rear of the hovercraft lowered, and a pair of women emerged. One was of average height, of Asian descent, and the other was massive, easily over seven feet tall and heavily muscled. Both wore conforming leather like armor and no helmets, with a side arm locked to their thigh and a short sword at the small of their backs. Both paused as four fighters raced overhead, one of them breaking away and transforming, with legs emerging from the belly and rear of the fighter. It slowed to a hover and set down right next to the APC. The canopy opened and another Asian woman hopped out with a Jian in her hand. She joined the first two and the three made their way to the open hanger. A second fighter dropped straight out of the sky and landed hard. The sound of stressed metal echoed across the spaceport and for a moment, everyone thought the hybrid fighter would crash into the ground as the legs gave way. To everyone's surprise, the legs held and a bespectacled man hopped out of the cockpit in a lab coat and quickly caught up with the three women.

Commander Carter recognized Colonel Katya Sergovich among the three women. He surmised that one of them was General Mei Fang, and the other Admiral Ren. The man was vaguely familiar to him. Admiral Whitcomb and Freemont were conferring with an aide as the three women and one man entered the shade of the hanger. They only gave the Spartans a cursory glance before coming to stop before the two Admirals. He didn't detect hostility towards the admirals, but all four of them were no strangers to violence. Vice Admiral Whitcomb stepped forward.

"Admiral Ren?" He held out his hand. "I am Vice Admiral Dan Whitcomb, UNSC Navy."

Admiral Ren was a petite woman, but despite that, she radiated an aura of strength and command. Her hair was long and braided into a thick braid that hung down to her middle back. Her eyes were brown, but her left eye seemed to be shinier than the other, possibly due to the web like silver tattoo that radiated from her left eye. All of the people from the 71st had a tattoo of the same color, but in different patterns.

"Admiral Mei Yan Ren, 71st Assault Wing." She accepted his hand.

"I can't thank you enough for coming to our assistance." Dan replied. "Your intervention saved a lot of lives that might have been lost otherwise."

"Yes," Mei Yan replied. "But we require some answers in compensation."

"What do you mean?" Admiral Freemont replied.

"Epsilon Eridani is a major Hegemony Naval Base along the Terra-New Avalon trade route. There are two naval wings at Eridani at all times, as well as a full Royal BattleMech Division and on average there are over one hundred WarShips and Transports in the Eridani System at all times. We arrive here and to our surprise we find neither Eridani Command nor do we find the 89th and 101st Assault Wings." She tilted her head slightly. "That is neither here nor there. We arrived here and we were attacked. We have defended ourselves and by extension, you."

Both men glanced at each other, with Adm. Freemont looking a bit confused.

"If I may ask, where are you from?" Adm. Whitcomb asked.

"Doctor?" Adm. Ren looked to the man. He stepped forward to the holotank and reached up to his neck. There was a black metal collar that looped around his neck in a U shape, to which he touched the right front prong and pulled out a cable.

"May I?" He asked the two UNSC officers. Dan nodded.

He looked at the I/O port on the holo table and fiddled with the cord. Both were surprised that he was able to get it to interface with their hardware, but said nothing. The table shimmered, then brought up a map of where they came from. Dr. Halsey, who was lurking in the shadows, came forward, not to study the map, but the man that was plugged into the table.

The man hummed to himself as the image stabilized, pointedly ignoring the woman who was studying him.

"This is our home," Mei Yan spoke. "The Terran Hegemony." The map showed a territory with over a hundred star systems. All around it there were other groupings of systems, stretching out for nearly a thousand light years from the icon at the center labeled Terra.

"Our mode of FTL involves a jump, or fold, drive as it were," The man spoke. "While it is very rare, it is possible to have a miss-jump."

"What do you mean, jump drive?" Freemont asked.

"Space fold, point to point," the man replied. "The standard Jump drive can move a ship thirty light years in a heartbeat. I won't go into the specifics of our method of travel, however, a miss-jump can throw a ship off course or destroy it. We encountered a rather rare phenomena during our jump."

"How so?" Catherine blinked.

"We jumped through a string fragment," He replied.

Mei Yan nodded. "We crossed over from our reality into yours by the simple accident of a cosmic string intersecting our jump nexus."

* * *

**HAFS Ares**

Gunnery Sergeant Avery J. Johnson sat in the common room of the destroyer along with the rest of his platoon. They were escorted to the room as soon as they boarded and firmly asked to remain there. He didn't understand why at first, but careful observation showed that a lot of the equipment in the room didn't have obvious controls, but there were some crew members that made sure everyone was able to access the entertainment holos. One of the holos seemed to be a historical drama set in a time called the 'Jihad'. There were startling similarities to what the UNSC was facing now, but he was unsure how it would turn out. Food was brought to the platoon, and a hot meal was a welcome change from the usual UNSC MRE fair. The room was well lit and quite comfortable, another major change from what he was used to. In many ways, he could get used to this kind of ship, but in other ways he was comforted by the stark, harsh lines of the familiar UNSC fleet.

Star Commander Chand entered to room.

She was huge, nearly eight feet tall and heavily muscled. Avery had no doubt in his mind that she could take an Elite on in hand to hand and win. She scanned the room once, and then made her way to him once her sweep was completed.

"We have a shuttle waiting to take you down to the nearest UNSC vessel," She said. "If you can get your people together I will escort you to the flight deck."

Avery rolled his cigar to the side of his mouth. "Mount up people. Our ride's here."

She led them down the octagonal shaped corridor to the one of the larger lifts and down several decks to the flight deck where a _Blackbird_ Mk VII Assault Shuttle waited. It was a dull black in color, with odd angles to better reflect enemy sensors. There were a few weapon ports, but from the look of the craft it was built for stealth and speed. The deck crew was wearing a form of armor that allowed them to work in any environment, and waited for the for the UNSC marines to board the shuttle before moving the shuttle to one of the many launch bays.

Avery gave the bay a once over before boarding after his troops.

"Move it Jenkins!" He shouted, boarding the loading ramp. Danielle boarded after Avery and waited for the marines to sit down in the jump seats and begin to strap in. Most of the seats were designed for battle armored troops, and the marines looked quite small in the large seats but they paid no mind to it. He watched her move forward towards the cockpit and pulled on a headset and sit down in one of the crew seats.

"We are ready for launch," She spoke.

The rear hatch sealed with a hiss and the shuttle shuddered.

"Is there a meal with this flight?" Private Jenkins joked.

"Shut it Private!" Avery shouted.

"_Victory Command this is Blackbird 03, we are ready for launch."_ The ship's intercom came alive with the pilot's voice.

"_You are cleared for launch. UNSC Pillar of Autumn is the closest UNSC ship and will take on your passengers."_

"_Roger Victory Command."_

The shuttle jerked and accelerated out of the launch bay. There were no windows in the shuttle, nothing that would disrupt the stealth profile of the assault vehicle.

"_Pillar of Autumn this is Ares Flight Zero Three, request permission to land."_

"_Ares Flight Zero Three this is Pillar of Autumn, permission granted. Follow the beacon to the upper landing deck Bravo Two."_ A woman's voice replied.

Avery unbuckled himself and moved forward to where Danielle Chand sat. "What happens after we land?"

"We go our separate ways Master Sergeant." She replied. "I would issue a Trial of Possession for you, but command has forbidden any trials with the UNSC."

"'Trial of Possession'?" Avery rolled the cigar around his mouth.

"Among the Clans, everything can be a combat challenge. Status, Rank, Politics, Grievance." She fixed him with a predatory stare. "Any and all decisions can be challenged through combat. You showed no fear when we fought the Covenant on your space station. You are a skilled warrior and would be an asset to our Clan's Warrior Caste."

"Might makes right eh?" Avery frowned. "Have you ever lost a challenge?"

"It took me one try to win a Bloodname. The challenge cost me my left arm, but I emerged victorious." She shrugged.

"On final approach to landing deck Bravo Two," The pilot said. "Prepare for landing."

The assault shuttle came to a hover over the landing deck and slowly settled down. The deck lowered into the upper hanger, passing through a series of airlocks until it finally came to a halt. The rear of the shuttle hissed as the seals were released and the rear ramp lowered. Captain Jacob Keyes stood there with a squad of marines and one of their Spartans.

"All right people, mount up and head out!" Avery shouted. He reached the head of the platoon and was the first to hit the deck.

"Master Sergeant Avery J. Johnson, requesting permission to come aboard with platoon."

"Permission granted Gunny," Captain Keyes replied.

Danielle stood in the doorway as the rest of the platoon filed past. "Pilot, our cargo is clear."

Jacob stared at the huge woman. She was just as tall as a Spartan in armor, and was more muscled than a heavy weight bodybuilder. He guessed that she was the 71st's version of a Spartan super soldier.

"Request permission to depart Captain?" She asked Jacob.

"You are clear to depart," he replied. She snapped off a very professional salute, which Jacob returned automatically before the ramp raised and hit her from further view. He looked at the new arrivals as the shuttle was lifted back up to the landing deck.

"I understand you had quite an adventure Sergeant," Jacob turned to Avery.

"That ain't the half of it sir."

Jacob motioned to the Spartan beside him. "This is Master Chief John-117. He is in command of our Spartan Team until the rest of them get back from below. If you don't mind, I'd like the chief to sit in on the debrief."

Avery looked at the giant green soldier with the gold visor. He had a feeling they would be working together very closely in the future.

"That would not be a problem sir."

* * *

**Reach Military Spaceport**

"So what happens now?" Admiral Freemont asked, the hum of electronics was the only sound in the hanger apart from the ambient noise from the engineers working on the spaceport.

"Now?" Mei Yan shrugged. "We gather our people and we leave."

"Leave?" Colonel James Ackerman shouted. "You can't leave!"

"Oh?" Mei Yan raised an eyebrow. "And what is to keep us? We have samples of the alien technology to study and add to our tech base, our forces are at ninety six percent combat ready, and we can be out of this system in less than an hour."

"Colonel!" Admiral Whitcomb shouted. "You are dismissed."

James opened his mouth to say something else, but shut it quickly. "Sir," He replied, and then retreated from the hanger.

"I apologize for Col. Ackerman," Dan spoke. "We have all been under a great deal of stress."

"Understandable," Mei Yan replied. "Facing down a vastly superior force is not an easy thing to do."

"Would you be willing to trade?" Dan said. "I am not sure what you might need to repair your ships, but we could work out a deal for resources."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Would you be willing to trade for naval weapons technology?" He replied. "If we can fight the Covenant equally in space, we can turn this war around."

She closed her eyes for a moment. The others with her maintained a casual indifference to the proceedings, which bothered Dan. Were they so powerful, so evolved that they were above normal human concerns? He was prepared to offer anything for their help, even if it meant being court marshaled for treason. Dr. Halsey stepped back from her study of the lone man of the group, and pulled out a notepad and pen from her lab coat pocket and began writing notes.

"Dr. Halsey," Mei Yan spoke.

"Yes," Both Dr. Halsey and the man spoke at once. The man raised an eyebrow before speaking again. "Yes Admiral?"

"Prepare a data core for transfer to the UNSC." She said. She opened her eyes and looked at Dan. "In exchange for a data core, I want all information you have on the aliens, AI technology, five hundred tons of refined weapons grade uranium, and four thousand tons of iron ore."

Dan blinked. "What would the data core have on it?"

"Specs for a K-F Drive, standard naval fusion engine technology, and specs for naval lasers and PPCs." She replied. "I will also include the specs for Ferro-Carbide armor to replace the…armor you currently use. In addition I will also include some battle armor tech that might help you field infantry that has a greater survival rate than you currently possess."

"Armor, weapons, and engines," Dan mused. He worried that they would not have the time to utilize the data once they had it, but the capture of the Covenant ships as well as the data would offset any negatives. "Will this put us on par with your ships?"

"You will have the advantage over the Covenant." She replied. "From our preliminary examination of the Covenant ships, I am surprised that they managed to get into space at all."

"Their technology comes from a race called the 'Forerunners'." Catherine Halsey spoke. "They are not innovators or creators, just users."

"That would explain why their ships were only functioning at one quarter of their capabilities." Mei Yan walked around the holo table. "Do you have any other information on these 'Forerunners'?"

Dan shook his head. "No. They see themselves as following their 'gods'. Humanity is an abomination in their eyes and it is the will of the gods that we be destroyed. It will take a few days to gather the iron ore, maybe a week to get the uranium."

"Great…wobbies," Muttered General Fang.

"Wobbies?" Catherine replied.

"Over a hundred years ago a group of religious fanatics called the 'Word of Blake' that worshiped technology waged a jihad on the rest of the galaxy. Hundreds of planets were affected, many were completely destroyed and only now are habitable again," Mei Yan replied. "Our ancestors drove them from Terra and the Hegemony, and occasionally we will come across a few of their remaining colonies in the Deep Periphery. Fanatics are the worst and best enemy to fight."

"How so?" Carter asked.

"They are predictable, but they will have the advantage of numbers and do not fear death." She replied. "Quality is good, but quantity has quality all its own."

"I've seen it," Carter replied. "We can usually out maneuver and outsmart them on the ground, but once they gain aerospace superiority we usually have to retreat and abandon that world. So far they've glassed every planet they've taken."

"Glassed?" Mei Yan asked.

"Orbital bombardment by their ventral plasma cannons," Dan said. "They render planets sterile."

"How many planets have you lost?" She asked.

"We've lost most of our outer colonies. We and we have enacted a special order to safeguard the inner colonies by the deletion of all navigational data that can lead the Covenant to Earth." Dad shook his head. "Reach is our most important inner colony. The loss of it could cripple our military strength."

There was an odd chiming that came from her belt. She raised her hand and pulled out a silvery disk. A holo of a man appeared in it.

"_Admiral, we've cracked the Covenant Master database and their main communication network. It looks like they are preparing a staging area at Tau Ceti for a major offensive."_ The man said.

"Excellent work Captain," Mei Yan replied. "Keep digging and keep me informed on what you find."

The hologram vanished and she looked at Dan. "I believe you have a target."

"It will take some time to get our industrial base to speed on the new technology. Is there some way to get the data to Earth as well?" Dan asked.

"We can re-task a drone to jump into Sol and then initiate a communication link through its HPG." Thad replied. "Depending on your data transfer capabilities a second set of blueprints and data files can be sent from my ship."

"The idea has merit," Mei Yan spoke. "However, we need to make sure that the UNSC at Sol does not destroy the drone when it emerges."

"Zenith jump point," Halsey replied. "From my observations and analysis the UNSC nor the Covenant use standard jump points, nor would they have them defended."

"But the time lag for communication could be problematic."

"A problem to be solved, nothing more," Thad waved his hand. "Now, how about some lunch."

* * *

**HAFS Heinlein**

"XO, we have an anomaly," one of the sensor techs reported.

Commander James Lark walked from the main command station to where the sensor techs were working. The science ship maintained a larger than normal sensor station on the bridge that allowed the Captain to be on top all the data that came in from the massive sensor arrays and optical scanners. He came to a stop at the senior tech's station.

"What's up Chief?" He leaned over the console.

"We got a tickle on one of our optical sensors." The chief replied. "At first we thought it was an error, but we've gotten a really weird spectrographic reading from the planetary system."

"Where is it?"

"Iota Horologii…just over 44 light years away," The Chief replied. "Here, look at this."

The monitor flickered as the computer took the incoming data and began processing it into a proper image. The monitor flickered once more then showed the object in question.

"What the hell is that?"

Everyone stared at the gas giant and its companion. The object before the planet was definitely not natural. James looked at the techs.

"The spectrometer picked up a lot of weird elements. It is definitely not a natural object."

"Send a priority flash to Admiral Ren. Tell her we have a Class One Anomaly." James said as he stared at ring.

* * *

**Rage of the Prophets**

Tartarus, Jiralhanae chieftan and strongest of his people, knelt before the image as it appeared. His command ship remained at a staging area near the human world of Reach along with his fleet while they waited to see if their forces would be needed for the pacification and elimination of the human infestation.

"Rise Tartarus," Truth spoke. "Report."

"We have secured the data as requested honored Prophet."

"Excellent. I trust you left no witnesses?"

"Only a few humans remained as we departed. Even these new aliens could not hinder our resolve."

"The Sangheili are getting weak," Truth spoke. "I fear they will falter on the Great Journey."

"Let our honor carry the Covenant forward great Prophet," Tartarus spoke. "Our zeal is great."

"Yes…yes," Truth replied. "With this information we can crush the humans once and for all. You have pleased us."

The image wavered and vanished.

"Decipher the codes and prepare a pack for departure. Nothing will stop us now."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 6**

**High Charity**

The arguments had gone on for days. The loss at the planet called Reach and the arrival of the aliens sent shockwaves through the Covenant Hierarchy, and they were looking for a scapegoat. Thel 'Vadamee knew it was bad when even the High Councilors would not speak for him. There was a lot of angry talk amongst the Sangheili, but they all trusted the Prophets to know what is right. His words had fallen on deaf ears and even the data brought back was not enough to convince them. A few of the Sangheili High Councilors expressed concern about the aliens, and it was not known at this time if the aliens were in fact human or not.

The Prophet Truth glanced at his fellow Prophets. Their expressions were unreadable to Thel, and for a moment, he wondered if he would be offered the honorable death of suicide to atone for his shame.

"Your failure is troubling Supreme Commander," Truth spoke. "It calls into question your commitment to the Great Journey."

"My actions-" Thel began.

"-are meaningless," Finished Regret. "The fleets under command of Tartarus have successfully purged the human taint off several worlds, and he prepares to move his forces to meet with _Unyielding_ _Hierophant_."

"You are stripped of the rank of Supreme Commander," Truth spoke. "The High Councilors will decide your final fate."

The three Prophets rose on their gravity thrones and disappeared into the bowels of the ancient Forerunner Dreadnaught. Thel watched them depart, a pair of Royal guards stepping behind him. They did not have to speak for him to follow them, and he turned in shame. The weapons of the aliens were powerful, a good as those on the Covenant warships, but they were not invulnerable. The super cruiser's improved energy projector managed to wreck the small warship and send it tumbling out of control. Those ships carried more firepower than a CSS Battlecruiser, and a head on engagement against such a foe was unwise.

He was escorted to a small, bare cell often used for penitents. He sat down on the cold, stone platform that was both seat and bed, and waited. His mind went over every piece of the engagement from the arrival of his fleet to the retreat. The Covenant's travels, while limited, had never found any other species that were worthy of joining the Covenant. The Humans were worthy, as it was spoken among some of the Sangheili, to join the warrior caste of the Covenant, but none dare voice their thoughts. These aliens were an unknown. They aided the Humans, but was it because they were allied with the humans, or was it because the Covenant fired first? Too many questions. Too many unknowns. The aliens had few ships, but what if they were a vanguard of a larger force? The Covenant would be embroiled in a war on two fronts, and there would be death on a scale not seen since the San'Shyuun-Sangheili War.

He clicked his mandibles together. He could not dwell on 'What ifs'. The Great Journey was all that mattered.

* * *

**HAFS _Victory_**

Mei Yan went over the status reports as they came in. All ships had been repaired and were cleared for action, and the 49th had just completed final docking of their last DropShip. The _Liverpool_ had cut loose the _Trickster_ and it was back in position, and engineering had a laundry list of improvements to be made on the ships in the fleet in response to the technology discovered on the alien WarShips. One of the greatest discoveries on board the alien ships was their 'engineers'. The floating aliens were not hostile, but they had an innate ability to breakdown, repair, and improve the performance of piece of equipment that they worked on. They managed to secure half a dozen of them off each ship, but in the past few days, that number had increased until there were at least four on each WarShip. They were intelligent, and with some work the scientists on the Heinlein managed to come up with an interface that allowed them to interact with the crew. Already the 'Huragok', as they were called, had proven a great boon, aiding the repair and upgrade of several of the Victory's subsystems. The crew took to calling the Huragok by names of famous engineers of the past in both historical and fictional context. She was waiting for the report from Chief Engineer about the upgrades made to the _Victory's_ systems.

She also had to make a decision about the Ring. The _Heinlein_ had nine jump-probes ready for deployment, and in three hours she was going to make a burn towards Eridani's Zenith jump point to deploy all ten probes to various systems for reconnaissance, with one probe to the Ring's system for a quick look-see. Another probe would make the long journey to what would be the Olympus system in their universe, nearly six thousand light years away. Even with the advanced jump drive, it would take months for the probe to arrive. If they could not return to their home, then it would be good if they could do the closest thing. The 71st had the firepower to tackle any threat they might come across, but she was very hesitant to commit her forces into any engagement. For all their advanced technology, they were limited by the personnel they had available for operations. She had to pull personnel off some of the docked DropShips to replace losses, and even if they had replacements available, it would still take time for them to go through the augmentation process as well as training. Their food stores could be replaced easily. The HAFS _Stackpole_ carried ten Mammoth class DropShips that were loaded with stores, and the transport had the stores for the creation of a colony if it came to it.

"Admiral?" Her XO came up to her at the holotank. "The Threat Report."

She accepted the PDA and looked at it. "What's our status?"

"All ships are standing off at one AU from Reach and we are prepared for Jump. STORMDOOR protocols are still in effect, and our ELINT team has ejected an intruder from one of the Server Nodes."

"UNSC ONI?"

"Of course," he replied

"How many attempts has it been so far?"

"Today or since we arrived?" He smirked. "One hundred and seventy five attempted hacks. It seems they don't like us."

"Fear makes people do things they wouldn't normally do," She replied. "This UNSC seems to be operating like a bastard child of the old FedCom and the Capellan Maskirovka. The paranoia of this ONI of theirs is both amusing and troublesome at the same time."

"They could use our help Admiral."

"But at what cost?" She asked. "Their MACs are a threat to us."

"They have power and penetration, but their fire control requires AI control for accuracy. Our own Spinal Mounts are similar but of smaller scale with equivalent range and better fire control. Retrofitting our cannons for a similar effect would not be an effective use of our resources." He said.

She nodded. Their armor and shields could withstand a great deal of punishment, but not something travelling at a fraction of light speed. Their other weapons were negligible, mainly Autocannons and missiles, and could be countered by point defenses and an alert CAP. Nukes were a tricky weapon, falling into the same category as the MACs, but the Jihad prepared them for encountering and neutralizing enemy nukes.

"Your recommendations?" She set the PDA down.

"Once we get the AI tech, our ELINT department can begin devising counters for their AI targeting," Morgan shook his head. "Right now our best defense is making them come to us and using our own weapon ranges to snipe them."

"Admiral Freemont and his staff will be paying us a visit shortly and they will bring the data we requested from them and then transfer our data core to them."

"I'm not sure that is a good idea Admiral."

"Good or not it will give us some much needed information as to the state of this universe and it will give them a fighting chance. They are, after all, human."

"Yes Ma'am." He nodded.

"What about the other side of the coin?"

"We lucked out on that respect too Admiral. As you know, the Covenant may be technologically advanced, but they are stupid. The plasma weapons they use are underpowered with the beam lasting only one second. The exception is the ventral cannon, which functions at a higher power and duration and is in a fixed arc." He replied. "We are working on making modifications to our shields that will increase their effectiveness against Covenant Weapons with the help of the Hurganok."

"And their pulse lasers?" She asked.

"A cross between NL35s and Sub-Cap lasers," He replied.

Mei Yan nodded and walked around the holo tank. "Have the N-2, N-3, and N-5 department heads begin drawing up operational plans."

"Against whom?" Morgan asked.

"Everyone."

* * *

**Pelican DropShip Echo 419**

Captain Carol Rawley couldn't help but be impressed. The HAFS _Victory_ was a massive warship, sleek and angular, with a ventral and dorsal fin that made the ship seem like a sea going predator. She had been tapped for the flight to the _Victory_ because the _Pillar of Autumn_ was in space dock undergoing repairs, and the crew preparing for a special mission on board one of the captured Covenant ships, providing it could be rendered functional again. She looked back to one of her passengers, a hulking blue armored form of a Spartan III.

"Commander, we're getting ready to enter their airspace."

"I'll inform Admiral Freemont," Six replied, withdrawing from the cockpit.

Carol looked over to her co-pilot. "Open a channel to the _Victory_."

"You're hot Captain," He replied.

"HAFS _Victory_, this is Pelican DropShip Echo 419 with diplomatic package. Request permission to approach."

"_Echo 419 you are cleared for approach. Follow the beacon to Port bay Bravo."_

"Roger that _Victory_, beginning approach."

Six entered the Pelican's troop bay as Admiral Freemont, Dr. Halsey, and the first half of Noble Team prepared for landing. They could see several of the 71st WarShips from the bay's rear window, which was part of the upper ramp structure. One of the WarShip's engines flared to life and the ship began to move, slowly pitching up as the bow thrusters of the ship adjusted it course. Its acceleration was similar to that of a _Halcyon_ class Cruiser, but it seemed to be more maneuverable than a _Frigate_.

"Admiral?" Carter turned from the small window.

"They're going to launch probes towards Covenant Space," Roland said. "I'm not sure what it's going to accomplish."

"They are looking for answers," Catherine spoke. "They do not trust us. They are lost and are looking for a way home."

"I don't understand." Carter said. "Can they return home?"

"I'm surprised they don't trust us," Jorge rubbed his head. "We are, after all, humans like them."

"I think they'll look for old Forerunner bases to find a way home," Catherine said. "They had a mastery of quantum physics and slipspace travel that has yet to be surpassed."

"That explains the home part, but what about trust?" Carter asked.

"ONI," She replied. "I fear they are going to do something…rash."

"They had better not," Roland looked up from his reports. "Adm. Whitcomb has ordered no action to be taken against them. HIGHCOM wants them on our side, and if the ONI Director doesn't keep her people on a tight leash there is going to be an incident nobody wants."

"_Admiral, we are preparing to dock," _Carol said over the intercom.

"I don't have to tell everyone that it is important to keep the Hegemony as allies, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep your eyes open."

"In other words put our game-faces on and maintain situational awareness at all times," Carter replied. Mentally, he worried about the missing member of their team, but she was in good hands until she could be restored to active duty.

The Pelican made soft contact with the deck shortly thereafter, and the deck crew worked quickly to secure the transport and tow it into position as the main bay doors closed. The engines spun down and shut off as Carol secured the aircraft. Lights flashed in the bay as it began the pressurization sequence. Red lights flashed green as the deck chief signaled to Carol that it was safe to disembark. She waved to the armored crewman and powered down all remaining systems.

"Admiral, we have been given the green light to disembark." Carol said, coming into the troop bay.

"Thank you Captain," he replied. He unstrapped himself and nodded to the others. Six and Jorge each took hold of a large case which contained the UNSC data core, and would hold the Hegemony core for the return trip. The ramp hissed as it lowered to the deck where an armored crewman waited. The crewman raised the faceplate of his helmet and stepped forward.

"Sirs, if you will follow me."

He led the party to the main airlock, and from their up a lift to the passenger lounge where several Hegemony officers including Admiral Ren stood. They were all dressed in the leather like conforming uniforms that they had seen before and Roland wondered if the uniform was bonded to their skin.

"Admiral Freemont," Admiral Ren shook his hand. "I trust your trip was uneventful?"

"It was quiet, but quiet is good."

"Agreed," She replied. "If you will follow me, we can hold a proper meeting in the Flag lounge."

"Of course." He replied.

The corridors of the ship were octagonal and reinforced with braces every hundred paces. Roland could see that the walls were lined with soft padding, probably for the event of the ship losing artificial gravity. There seemed to be redundancies in everything, and what was most surprising was seeing Huragok in a side corridor working with a pair of technicians.

"You have _Engineers_?" Roland looked at Mei Yan.

"We recovered have a few dozen of them off the ships we…liberated. Once we were able to build a communication interface to speak with them we reached an understanding."

"Understanding?"

"They are quite intelligent for a synthetic race." She looked at Roland, who looked at her confused. "You did not know that the Huragok are an artificial race? They were created to maintain Forerunner systems."

"How did you find this out?" Catherine asked.

"I asked them." Mei Yan replied, leading them into a lift. It was a tight fit with the Spartans but it was not too claustrophobic. She led them to a rather opulent looking room where a pair of Marines snapped to attention. Both marines were in a kind of light battle armor similar to what the Spartans wore. She led them to the long table in the room and sat down in one of the end chairs. Roland took the opposite chair and Catherine sat near Roland. The Spartans set down the container and took position up behind Roland.

"I have the data core you requested," Roland said.

Mei Yan took a small box out of her pocket and tossed it across the intervening space.

"There is an optical chip inside the box that will interface with an AI port. There are blueprints and specs for engines and weapons on the chip." She said. "Identical plans will be transmitted to the UNSC forces at Sol. In addition there is a small vial for your wounded Spartan."

Roland caught it and looked at it. The chip inside looked like a standard AI chip, and for a moment he wondered where they could have gotten the specs for such a chip. The vial contained a grayish liquid that looked like bad oatmeal.

"Thank you," He replied.

"If I may ask, do you have a covenant prisoner?" Catherine inquired.

"We have several," Mei Yan replied. "Most of our intelligence on Covenant Operations has come from the Sangheili, the Elite, a member of their special forces I believe."

"Would it be possible to observe an interrogation?" Catherine asked.

"It can be arranged," She said. "Although it will be sometime before he is…awake."

"I am surprised you were able to keep the Elite alive long enough for interrogation," Roland said. "They usually suicide if they are in danger of being captured."

"All in good time," She smiled. "Now I believe you have something for me?"

Roland nodded, and then turned his head to Six and Jorge. "You are authorized to release your package."

The two Spartans stepped forward and placed the data core on the table next to Mei Yan. Her eyes looked vacant for a moment before a pair of techs came into the room and removed the core from the container and haul it out. A pair of crewman entered from another door, pushing a cart loaded with food and drinks. Roland could smell the coffee, but was hesitant to drink. Mei Yan sipped her coffee, her eyes hooded, the smile no longer on her face.

"For a moment I was insulted you will not accept my hospitality, but then I remembered who you are," She said.

Both Carter and Six snapped to attention, Jorge soon followed. All three readied themselves in case violence was required. Catherine snorted and took the cup and sipped it. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Jamaican Blue Mountain?"

Mei Yan nodded.

"Expensive." Catherine said.

"Since we have some time before the next…interrogation, I will try to answer whatever questions you might have provided it doesn't violate our operational security." Mei Yan said.

Roland looked at Catherine. She set down her cup and looked at Mei Yan. "I have a question about your uniforms. The texture is like leather, but I have never seen anything like it."

Mei Yan sipped her coffee before answering. "Our uniforms are specifically created for each crewmember. It is a synthetic leather compound grown to match the DNA of its wearer. It functions much like a second skin, as it were."

"I'm sure that it is more than that," Catherine replied.

"It is, but actual specifics fall under operational security."

Catherine speculated that the uniform also acted both as armor as well as a life support system, and was quite resistant to damage. To create something that was for a specific person to wear spoke to her of a great understanding of genetics and biology, and such knowledge could have major repercussions in the UNSC, and could restart the Spartan-II program if they were able to gain that knowledge. One of her greatest regrets as well as her triumph was the Spartan-II program. The loss of so many children haunted her to this day, but she was resolved to do it all over again if she had to. Her eyes glanced to Jorge, then to Six and Carter. The Spartan IIIs were a new element, a project that she didn't wholly approve of. The Spartan IIIs were a lower cost version of the Spartan II, a cheap, expendable soldier that could be sent against high value targets that offered little hope of survival. ONI thought she wasn't aware of the program, but she was. She knew all of her 'children'.

"What if you can't go home again?" Roland asked.

Mei Yan set the cup down. "If it comes to pass that we can't return to our own universe…we'll find a quiet spot where no one will bother us, and we'll settle down."

She held up a hand for forestall further comments.

"Signing up with the UNSC is not an option. We can render aid if needed, but we have no desire to disrupt your society any more than we already have."

"The Covenant won't let you walk away from this," Roland replied. "You're human, and humanity is worth less than dirt to them."

"If they find us, I'll make sure they wish they hadn't." Mei Yan spoke. "If I find actionable intelligence I will be sure to pass it along to you."

"If you helped us we could end this war," Roland replied. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It will take time to refit our ships to your tech level and I don't think the Covenant will wait."

"You've bloodied their nose." Mei Yan replied. "And if you keep up the pressure, they'll be off balance."

"Tau Ceti," Catherine replied.

"If they are massing a fleet there, they will be able to strike at your inner colonies at will, even Earth."

"They don't know where Earth is." Roland replied.

"Are you sure?" Mei Yan replied. "Just because you have rules in place that prevent the location of Earth becoming known don't assume that they won't find it, or that they already know where it is. They found Reach despite your protocols. Who's to say the methods the used to find Reach hasn't led them to Earth."

"We have thought of that scenario," Catherine said. "If they did know about Earth, why have they not attacked?"

"Who knows," Mei Yan shrugged. "The intelligence we have gained from the Elite has given us a lot of insight into the Sangheili race and their relationship with the San'Shyuun. The 'Prophets' are trying to complete a 'Great Journey' to follow the Forerunners wherever they went. You are correct in the assumption that they are not builders. Everything they have has been taken or built from caches left behind by the Forerunners."

* * *

**HAFS _Heinlein_ **

"Captain, we are approaching the Zenith Jump Point."

Dr. Halsey nodded from his position at the holotank. "Begin braking and prepare to launch probes."

"Aye sir."

The bow thrusters fired, slowing the 800,000 ton WarShip Transport until it was right on top of the jump point. RCS systems made slight adjustments to stabilize the ship's position as the final telemetry data was fed into each Jump Probe's brain. Each probe massed around 100,000 tons, which was the absolute limit for a jump capable ship. Nearly half that mass was dedicated to the engines and advanced K-F jump core, with fuel taking up another quarter of the weight. The last twenty five thousand tons was taken by armor, sensors, computer, communication equipment, and finally drones for remote sensing. They took up ten docking collars on the Transport, with the remaining six docking collars holding the Transport's two _Mammoths_, two _Conquistador_-Bs, and two _Achilles_ Mk IV. None of the 71st's Attack DropShips were used in the battle for the simple reason they were caught flatfooted. It also gave them an additional weapon in their arsenal for future use.

"Probes configured and ready for deployment," His XO said.

"Begin deployment."

The first probe was guided from the ship's docking collar by one of the robotic arms. At ten meters away from the ship it ignited its main thrusters and moved to its jump position, ten kilometers away. One by one the probes were released and allowed to take position around the Heinlein, each one ten kilometers away from the _Heinlein_ and away from the other probes, well outside the safe jump range. Thaddeus watched the operation with a sense of satisfaction. Jump Probes were used extensively by the Exploration Command for surveying the Deep Periphery, and this would be the first test of them in this universe. All of the tests and simulations run so far had shown there would be no problems with the jump drives, but there was always a chance.

He touched an icon for one of the probes in the holotank and initiated the countdown. The probe was destined for a system listed on the UNSC charts as Arcadia. It was far enough away to give the engines a good run, but not too far so that the probe's onboard HPG Mk III couldn't initiate a real-time communications link. The probe's main engines went to standby mode as the jump-sail spines retracted. The jump-sale was more of an emergency recharge system nowadays, the advanced Hyper-Fusion engines mounted on all Jump capable ships was more than powerful enough to recharge the K-F drive.

As the countdown reached zero, the probe initiated the jump sequence. The massive capacitors that surrounded the K-F drive discharged, creating a hyper-spacial gate that sent massive gravitic shockwaves out two thousand meters in all directions. The probe glowed brightly as the ambient energy was shed by the ship's drive field and in seconds, it was gone.

Thaddeus waited as did the rest of the bridge crew. The transit to Arcadia was instantaneous, but it would take minutes for the probe to orient itself and deploy the com-dish.

They waited.

Six minutes and forty five seconds later, the probe reported in from the Arcadia System's Zenith Jump Point. Telemetry from the probe revealed that there was a greater jump footprint on emergence, but it was nothing that could interfere with jump operations. He didn't think it would be a problem since both the UNSC and the Covenant sensors were directed towards looking for Slipspace ruptures, not EM radiation bursts. He was sure they would investigate such bursts, but it was something for the Admiral and her staff to work out. He preferred the puzzles and equations of deep space to the more mundane aspects of strategy and tactics…not that he was ignorant of such subjects.

He touched the icons for the remaining probes to start their countdowns, and then turned to his XO. "Order all Probe Teams to their stations. Have the team for the Ring Probe maintain an alert status at all times. There will definitely be bad guys at the ring. The Drone to Sol is broadcast for eight four hour intervals before returning."

He had no firm proof that the Covenant would be present at the Ring, but he was sure that such a large, artificial structure would have most assuredly attracted their attention. Going in expecting trouble would simply be prudent.

* * *

**HAFS Victory**

Mei Yan watched her guests with interest. They were all in the secondary medical bay where the Sangheili, N'tho 'Sraomee, floated in a greenish liquid. The tank was massive, large enough for three Elites, but only had the sole occupant. He was naked in the tank, free floating with only an umbilical cord going to a collar around his neck. The sick bay was large and spacious, with multiple treatment bays with monitors hanging from the ceiling at each bed. Several med techs as well as Doctors worked silently in the room, and the soft beeping of monitors was the only sound.

The interrogation process was not what the UNSC expected. The collar around his neck was linked into the neural interface inserted shortly after his capture as well as a backup life support system in the event the oxygenated fluid he was in became toxic. He was kept in a fugue state as the nanites inside him worked, creating a neural interface network similar to what the ship's crew had.

"How do you interrogate him?" Roland asked.

"All of the interrogation is accomplished through the neural interface. As soon as he was brought on board we injected him with 1000ccs of nanites and let them build the interface. The Unggoy have been similarly outfitted, but they aren't really good intelligence sources, but we have learned a great deal of their thought processes."

"Your Nanotech can adapt to other species?" Dr. Halsey asked.

"If it is organic we can adapt to it and use it. Our nanotech was something developed during the Cameron Interregnum several hundred years ago on Olympus. It is highly regulated technology because it can be easily abused."

"I can see why you would be hesitant in joining the UNSC now," Roland replied. UNSC nanotech was years behind what was being displayed in front of him. Mainly nanotech was used in industrial fabrication as well as for refining fuel for the fleet.

Mei Yan nodded. "I am sure your ONI would not have the proper…restraint in using this technology. We have mapped out his neural pathways and have slowly begun to sift through his memories. A lot of the surface details have already been examined."

She led them to a holotank where a representation of the Sangheili's brain floated, with silver lines flashing through it illuminating where the neural net was laid. Dr. Halsey leaned over to peer at the hologram intently, and Mei Yan could see the wheels turning in the scientist's head.

"How do you keep him from waking up?" She asked.

"I'll let my CMO give you some of the details." Mei Yan replied. "Dr. Cameron?"

An older woman in the green bodysuit and lab coat came forward. "Dr. Louisa Cameron," She introduced herself.

"Would you be related to the rulers of the Hegemony?" Roland asked.

"Yes," She replied. "One of the first things we did was, as the Admiral said, mapped out their neural pathways as well as their genome. Once we knew the layout of their brains, we could keep them in a dream state for as long as necessary. The nanites that we injected into them would keep them physically fit as well keep them alive while we studied them."

She moved around the tank. "The Sangheili as a race is a very hearty species. I would like to see their planet and observe them in their natural habitat. However, there are a few things that were floating around in his mind that jumped out at us. First of all, he seems to be part of a sub group of the Covenant that doesn't think humanity warrants extermination. They think humans are worthy to stand alongside the Sangheili in the warrior caste of the Covenant, and have nothing but contempt for the Jiralhanae, which they think are lower than the Unggoy in the grand scheme of things."

"If they don't want to kill us all, why are they allowing it?" Roland asked.

"Ingrained response," Louisa replied. "We don't exactly have a cultural anthropologist in the fleet, but we're dealing with a religion here. Even a liberal member of a religion would think twice about going against the tenets of their faith unless that faith was shattered irrevocably."

"It is a crack in the Covenant's armor," Mei Yan said. "We'll see what we can do to widen it on our end. The Covenant Admiral was a Sangheili, and I am sure most of their fleet commanders are Sangheili, so if a wedge could be driven between them and the San 'Shyuum…"

"Divide and Conquer," Roland finished.

"How can you read their thoughts?"

Louisa shrugged. "The brain is like a computer. If you can decipher the operating system, you can read and sometime alter the code. The Sangheili brain is very interesting…" She trailed off.

"Could you reprogram him?" Catherine asked.

"We could, but what would be the point?" Louisa said. "He would be nothing more than a puppet and would cease to be…unique."

"You don't know what they have done."

"You're right." Mei Yan spoke. "To you, they are the enemy that must be stopped at all costs. To us, they are simply an alien species. I told you before…if we are unable to return to our home we will find a quiet spot out of the way and settle down."

* * *

**High Charity**

It was a sacred place that the guards brought Thel to…sacred to the Sangheili because of their unwavering support for the Prophets since the founding of the Covenant, because this was Chamber of the Arbiters. The last Arbiter, Ripa Moramee, died many years ago with the Shield World Apex, and along with it, the Prophet Regret's desire for a swift end to the war with the humans.

The hovering form of Truth glided out the shadows and slowly revolved around Thel.

"In times of crisis there is a call for an Arbiter. A warrior that is willing to lay down his life in service of the Covenant for the achievement of the Great Journey. You will die…as each Arbiter has before you. Will you take up this burden?"

Thel looked up at the great mausoleum of the Arbiters that had come before him. All of them had fallen in service to the Prophets and the Covenant. All of the memorialized for all time. There was no higher honor than to be allowed such a path of redemption.

"My life for the Prophets," Thel bowed.

"You are the Arbiter, the will of the Prophets." Truth said. "There is a task for you my son. One that requires the both a delicate touch and a firm hand."

* * *

**HAFS Heinlein**

**::Admiral, we have telemetry from the Ring probe::** Thaddeus sent across the TACNET. He watched the data from ten different probes scroll across various windows floating in the holotank. His attention was fixed to two of them.

**::Go ahead::** She replied.

**::We have a structure of massive size in the form of a ringworld. Optical scans from the probe indicate ten Covenant WarShips on station in close formation. Zero activity on the ring itself::**

**::Understood. We need as much data as possible for a jump to the Ring. If the Covenant stay fat, dumb, and happy, send the probe in for a more detailed scan of the Ring::**

**::Understood Admiral. We will keep an eye on the system::**

**::What about the other probes::**

**::Probe Seven has begun its journey to Olympus. The rest of the Probes have reached their destinations and are sending back good telemetry. Probe One has detected a very strange nova thirteen light years away::**

**::Does it warrant re-tasking the probe::**

**::I've got an astrophysics team working going over the data now. It looks very odd::**

**::How so::**

**::The nova does not appear to have been from the system's primary::**

**::Understood Dr. Please keep me informed::**

He dropped out of the TACNET just as the Admiral did and walked towards the rear hatch.

"XO, you have the Conn. I will be in Astrometrics."

"Aye sir." He replied.

* * *

**CASTLE Base, Reach**

"Are you sure your plan will work?" The old woman with the piercing stare spoke.

"Yes," Colonel Ackerman replied. "I have Gamma Company finishing up their training on Onyx. They will be ready to deploy immediately."

"Very good. How long will it take for them to be inserted into the target?"

"Chief Menendez can have them loaded on a transport here within six hours. I estimate we can capture at least one ship before the rest of their fleet can react."

"I don't like it," She replied. "There are too many unknowns with these new arrivals and if the plan fails, we gain another enemy."

"Where can they go?" James replied. "It's either us or the Covenant, and the Covenant will kill them on sight."

"Make sure you do not fail."

"I won't Admiral," He replied.

"And the artifact?"

"It will be on a Prowler to Earth by 2300 hrs."

"Good," She nodded once. "Carry on Colonel."

He snapped to attention and saluted. "Thank you Admiral Parangosky"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 7**

**15 September 2552**

**UNSC Odysseus, formerly Purpose of Spirit**

Jacob Keyes walked around the retrofitted bridge of the former Covenant Assault Cruiser. There was still blood everywhere from the brutal hand to hand fighting that secured the ship, but the greatest challenge was bringing it back to life. Half a dozen engineering teams were working feverishly replacing the power relays from the ship's power plant to all of the systems, and often power cables were run through the corridors to their respective system. The exterior damage wouldn't be repaired. The plan had the ship jumping right into the enemy fleet at Tau Ceti, dock with the enemy space station, and then have the skeleton crew evacuate in a Covenant Stealth Corvette as the Nova Bombs sealed in the ship's holds detonated. It was a simple plan, and one that allowed for a great deal of flexibility should the situation requires it.

Jacob was assigned to oversee the project, and he was going to shepherd the ship to Tau Ceti. Blue Team was assigned to the ship, as well as a company of ODSTs for backup. As always Cortana was unleashed into the ship's computer system to root around and take the place of the crew. He turned as Lieutenant Frederic-104 stepped onto the command platform.

"How are your people settling in?" Jacob asked.

"We've cleared out a hanger next to the Stealth Corvette for a quick escape when the ship gets into position." He replied. "We've loaded enough firepower to take another ship."

"Well, let's hope everything goes as planned."

"Nothing goes as planned sir," Frederic replied.

"This has the potential to go exactly as planned," Cortana appeared in a holoprojector. "Captain, I've managed to access the Covenant Battlenet. We're picking up some chatter relating to the Tau Ceti fleet."

"What are we looking at?" He asked.

"They're massing a lot of ships for a major push. They're looking for something called 'The Ark'." She replied.

"Plot the best place to detonate the Nova Bombs Cortana," He replied. "We need to take out as many ships in that fleet before they can mobilize."

"Understood," She faded from view.

"Lieutenant, start working up some assault plans in case we need to separate the bombs for maximum effect." Jacob replaced the pipe in his mouth.

Frederic saluted. "Aye sir."

Jacob returned the salute.

"Sir, you have a message from Admiral Whitcomb." Cortana flashed back into existence.

"Send it through," He replied. Vice Admiral Whitcomb appeared in the ship's main monitor.

"What is your status Captain?"

"We've managed to restore power to the engines, slipspace drive, and navigation, but weapon systems and shields are still offline." Jacob reported.

Dan nodded. "You may have to work on repairs as enroute to Tau Ceti. HIGHCOM has ordered the launch date moved up."

"Do we have new information?"

"Admiral Ren passed on some information to Roland when we delivered the data core to her. She told him that a five hundred ship fleet was massing at Tau Ceti, and yesterday she signaled that the Prophet of Regret was going to be at the station in two days. Your mission is to destroy the fleet, and if possible snatch that Prophet."

"Understood Admiral," Jacob placed his pipe in his mouth. "We've stripped out the port landing deck to hold the Stealth Corvette and it is ready to go."

"Very good." He rubbed his eyes. "If we can blunt their attack we can try to get the refit kits build to upgrade the Fleet."

"Then Admiral Ren transferred her data core to us?"

"She did. They ."

"Any idea on how it stands up to ours?"

"The Ferro-Carbide armor they provided is centuries ahead of ours. We can give a Frigate the armor protection of a Supercarrier with this armor."

"Impressive." Jacob nodded. "How does it stand up to Covenant Plasma?"

"We're not sure, but I would guess it would allow more protection than Titanium A, which would provide limited protection against Hegemony weapons." Dan shook his head. "Their fighters have the firepower to take down any ship in the fleet without resorting to nukes."

It was a sobering admission. Their only advantage if it came to blows with the Hegemony was their MACs, but with the range constraints the Hegemony can stand off outside of the range of the MACs and pick the fleet apart. HIGHCOM was working to keep them friendly terms, but Jacob knew in his bones that ONI's dirty tricks department was working to change that. From what he has observed, the Hegemony runs a tight ship, and has a high tech base from which to draw from. Their only weakness he could find was the fact that they were only twenty one ships with crew. Even in victory they would lose trained crew, and that would be even harder to replace. Their laser weaponry had a firing time of a micro second, but it could hit a target with damage equivalent to a Covenant Pulse Laser.

"Understood Admiral," Jacob replied. "We'll be ready to deploy on schedule."

"Good. By the time you return the Pillar should be out of dry dock with a new skin. Whitcomb out." His image faded from the screen.

Jacob turned and walked off the platform as several engineers began to manhandle auxiliary control consoles to back up the holographic control system that the Covenant used. He made his way through the corridors to the bay the Spartans had selected for their barracks. Inside all of them were out of their armor and going through basic maintenance on both the armored suits and weapons.

"Sir," John-117 stood as Jacob entered. The rest of Alpha Team came to attention as well.

"At ease," Jacob replied. "The launch date has been moved up."

"Sir," Frederic replied.

"Intelligence from the 71st says that the Prophet of Regret will be present at the Covenant space station in two days. Our orders are to secure the Prophet if possible before detonating the Nova Bombs."

"Does he have to be in one piece?" James asked.

"He has to be able to talk idiot," Grace replied, looking up from explosives kit. She was pre-assembling charges that could be used in any situation.

Linda snorted, but didn't look up from cleaning her sniper rifle.

"We'll start running additional simulations ASAP sir," Frederic said.

"Carry on," Jacob nodded and left the bay.

* * *

**Reyes-McLees Orbital Shipyard, Mars**

She couldn't believe it. Her first real command and it was currently being dismantled. She could understand the necessity of the action, after all, the data core from the caused a huge splash with NAVLOGCOM, and the first prototype armor plates were being tested. Her ship was to be the test-bed of new technology. She watched from the cockpit of the Pelican as it flew around the hull of the ship. It looked like it had leprosy from all of the patchwork plating along the hull. Even the ship's MAC was exposed. She could barely make out the ship's name.

_**In Amber Clad**_.

The Frigate class ship one of the newer ships built at the Mars Shipyards and the paint wasn't even dry when it was towed back in when the yard dogs got their hands on the specs for the Ferro-Carbide armor. It was shockingly simple. The layered armor plating was similar to the old chobam style of armor used on armored vehicles during the twentieth and twenty first century, but was later discarded in favor of the Titanium A armor that was used. Manufacturing the armor was a bit more complicated, and the orbital factories were still trying to refit their forges to produce the layers needed for assembly. Once the layers were in put in order, they were compressed and interwoven together. This layering process would be repeated until the armor was about 100cm thick and weighed in at nearly a ton. The armor plate would cover a good stretch of hull, but she worried if there was enough armor to protect the ship from a Covenant Plasma Torpedo, would it still have the speed and maneuverability that was the hallmark of the class.

The Pelican docked with the shipyard's secondary boat bay, and she waited for a moment until the bay pressurized before disembarking and making her way to the observation deck. All through the station the crews were working at a breakneck pace. The Battle of Reach, while a victory, was just delaying the inevitable. She didn't know what the next move by the UNSC would be, but she was sure that her father was involved. The last message she got from him was that his ship was laid up in the dry dock while he was being TDY to a new command for a special mission.

Lord Hood stood in the observation deck as she entered. The room was filled with engineers and techs, all of them focused on the operation at hand. She crossed the space from the hatch to the main viewport and saluted as the older man turned around.

"Commander Miranda Keyes, reporting as ordered sir," She held the salute until Lord Hood responded.

"Commander, I am glad to have you here."

"Thank you sir," She replied.

"You have your updated orders?" He asked.

"Yes sir," She replied. "With all due respect sir, why my ship?"

"You've come highly recommended Commander," He replied. "Your father is one of the most respected captains in the fleet, and you have proved that you are definitely your father's daughter."

She digested his remarks as he continued.

"Once we had the data from the Hegemony, NAVLOGCOM initiated a crash refit program for all Earth Fleet ships. The first of the N-PPCs and NL-45s will be coming off the assembly lines in two weeks. Your ship will be mounting two N-PPCs and four NL-45s in addition to the MAC. Our power plants can handle the power requirements for a limited energy weapon load out, but we are going to have to modify the power plants for the Marathons to mount a full broadside. We are going to focus on refitting as many frigates as we can for fast attack mounting the new weapons and armor."

The arrival of the probe caused a great deal of panic among the UNSC, but the subsequent transmission as well as blueprints was both a welcome relief as news from Reach and the victory there bolstered flagging moral. It only took hours for the UNSC R&D division to disseminate the blueprints and designs to the various industries for implementation.

"We are going to have some performance issues mounting a lot of armor on the Frigates sir," she replied.

"We'll mount as much armor as we can without degrading the performance too much," Hood replied. "We have to cut a few corners because we aren't sure how long it will be before the Covenant makes their next move."

She looked out at her ship. She could see where the particle cannon housings were being mounted on either side of the MAC. Two NL-45s would be mounted on the ship's 'wings', and all weapons would be forward firing. Beyond the In Amber Clad she could see the hulls of four destroyers waiting their armor. She suspected they would be fitted with the Ferro-Carbide armor instead of Titanium-A. The energy weapons would help a great deal in atmospheric engagements. Firing a full power MAC round in a planetary atmosphere would cause catastrophic damage to the planet in question.

"We're going to have to come up with a new set of tactics to accommodate the new technology. While the _In Amber Clad_ is being refitted, I want you to look into that as well." He finished.

"Aye sir," She replied.

"Dismissed," He said.

She saluted and retreated from the observation deck. The Lord Hood's aide was waiting outside the room and handed her the new specs for her ship, along with the name of the chief engineer for the project. As she made her way to the berth where her ship waited, she made a cursory evaluation of the data provided. The particle cannons were ion based, effectively a lightning bolt harnessed and weaponized, with excellent range and damage potential. The lasers had even better range than the NPPCs, but their damage wasn't on the same level as the NPPCs. Additional coolant systems were being installed to compensate for the heat generated by the energy weapons, and the cost in space was a smaller marine contingent available for ground ops. Additional targeting computers were being installed to supplement the ships AI as well as replacing some of the ship's 50mm Autocannons with some of the pulse lasers developed from the Hegemony plans.

From the data she began formulating a base tactic. Lead off with the lasers. Their range would work to weaken the Covenant shields as the range between ships closed. Follow up with the NPPCs. Both shots should penetrate the shields and cause massive structural damage, finally finishing the job with MAC round. She closed the folder as she reached her ship's berth. The gangway was packed with crew and equipment, but it provided no impediment to her passage. The bridge was where she found the senior engineer, who was overseeing the refit of the bridge. He was directing several techs as they were expanding the gunnery station to accommodate the new weapon systems, and came over to her as she crossed the threshold.

"Commander Keyes," he held out his hand. "I'm Damien Sinclair, project head."

"Mr. Sinclair," She shook his hand. "How's my ship?"

"We're lucky that the Frigate class was almost ready made for quick refits. We've had to add some additional coolant lines, but the big problem is going to be shoe-horning the new weapons into the frame."

"You have a timeline for completion?"

"One week to get all of the equipment installed and tested, and then she gets cut loose for trials."

"One week to manufacture the new weapons?"

"Most of the components we had in stock. We're having the lenses for the lasers manufactured as we speak. The magnetic coils for the NPPCs are being fitted to the gun's firing chambers right now. By tomorrow we can run a power test on the cannons before installation."

"You work quickly." She replied.

"We've been running 24/7 at the Shipyards since Sigma Octanus," he said. "Most construction has been directed towards the Super MAC platforms, but we still have managed to squeeze in new hulls."

"Well, let's see if we can speed up the refit."

* * *

**UNSC Point of No Return**

Colonel Ackerman looked over the final dossiers of Gamma Company. Teams Saber, Katana, and Gladius were the top teams in Gamma Company, and they were the best teams for this mission. They were bunked down in the ship's cargo bay as the ship drifted slowly towards the Hegemony fleet. It was a risk, but the reward outweighed the risk, and taking one of their ships would give the UNSC a definitive edge against the Covenant and the Insurrectionists. After the battle he had studied the Hegemony ships, looking for any weakness that could be exploited. He had originally thought taking one of the transports, but decided that the wounded destroyer was the best target.

The ship was on the perimeter of the small fleet, maintaining a picket against any intruders. He could still make out the massive gash that was in the starboard hull that had been repaired, but not totally fixed. It was an obvious penetration point, and he scanned the data for alternate entry points, because he knew that there would be crew in those areas at all times. He turned to Kurt-051 and SCPO Mendez. Both weren't too happy with this assignment, but orders were orders.

"We have identified access points near the engineering and bridge sections of the ship." James said. "It is critical to take both as quickly as possible."

"For the record I would like to voice my concerns," Kurt said. "We only have rough analogies of where these areas are and we don't know what kind of defenses are present."

"You think three teams will be enough?" SCPO Mendez asked. "I've seen the vids of their 'Spartans' in action."

"All of their battle armor troops are stationed on either their frigate or cruiser class ships." James replied. "Commander Carter reported seeing no marines onboard their flagship. We'll be in position for deployment in two hours. I would suggest that you get the teams ready for an EVA deployment."

Kurt and Franklin saluted and retreated from the bridge.

"This has clusterfuck written all over it," Franklin confided to Kurt. "I have a bad feeling about this Kurt."

"So do I," Kurt replied as they made their way down to the cargo bay.

All three Teams were checking their equipment for the op. Because of the complexity of the operation it was decided that both Kurt and Franklin would accompany the Teams on the assault. The Point of No Return would try to jam all frequencies in an attempt to aid in the capture of the Hegemony ship as the Spartan IIIs launched their assault, but there were still too many unknowns. Kurt called it as he saw it. ONI was scarred, and scarred people made stupid, rash moves.

"This is the captain speaking," the intercom blared. "Approaching drop point. All personnel to your stations."

* * *

**Raven Flight**

Colonel Rosaline Dubois completed the first circuit of her CAP without any problems. Admiral Ren had all ships maintain a rotating Combat Aerospace Patrol while she decided their next move. So far there had been no problems with the UNSC. They maintained their forces close to the main base, with civilian transports constantly in motion from the other planets in the system, some heading for Reach, other jumping out system to other colonies. As CAG of the _Victory's_ aerospace wing, she was kept in the loop as to the operational plans for moving the fleet to the artificial ring that was discovered. They just need another day of repairs on the _Trickster_ before they were ready to make the jump.

"_Colonel, we're getting intermittent contact bearing 241 mark 034,"_ The _Victory's_ ACO reported. _"Possible stealth target."_

"Roger that," She reported. "Raven Lead to all Ravens, form up on me."

She wheeled the fighter over, followed by the rest of her star, and headed for the picket line. It was a loose formation, but one that allowed for great flexibility should the need for combat arise. She increased her fighter's velocity to combat speed, one eye on the HUD and the other in the TACNET. In the virtual space that was TACNET she could see where every Hegemony ship was located as well as their sensor envelopes. Thin threads connected each ship to each other, sharing tactical information as well as letting the ship's crew keep in close contact with each other.

Admiral Ren's Intel officer had briefed her and the rest of the fleet's CAGs on the UNSC Prowler class ships. Information that they gained through their own ELINT teams showed that the Prowlers were run by ONI much like the Hegemony's own Nightwing Mk II steath cruisers. They were to get into enemy systems for recon and intelligence gathering, and she was pretty sure that the contact lying off the picket line was an ONI ship. It reminded her of the Capellans at the end of the Jihad when the House Cameron returned and reclaimed all of the worlds that once belonged to the Hegemony. The rest of the Inner Sphere was too worn out by the Jihad to put up too much of a fuss, but the Capellan Confederation wasn't going to let any of its worlds go without a fight. They kept pushing for a response of any kind from the Hegemony, and when Lady Cameron gave them a response, the Capellans wished they hadn't asked for one.

Personally she had no grievance with the UNSC, in fact, she sympathized with them and would like to see the Hegemony take a greater role in aiding them. But she also understood that their small fleet was limited in resources and manpower, and didn't want to see any unnecessary loss of life on either side that could possibly sour relations in the future.

The contact was near the HAFS Trickster. While the ship was back under her own power, she was still undermanned. Her combat effectiveness was lower due to the loss of some of her gunnery crew, but she was still an effective combatant.

**::This is the Trickster to all ships…we are declaring Code SIGMA..repeat Code SIGMA::**

"SHIT!" Rosaline kicked in her afterburners, followed by the rest of her star. Her thumb toggled the Master Arm switch to on as her weapon systems went from standby to hot. Code SIGMA was a declaration of enemy boarding parties on a friendly ship.

**::Trickster this is Raven Flight. We are approaching your operational area**:: Rosaline sent over the TACNET. She was picking up a lot of static through the network, but her read on the situation was that UNSC special forces had boarded the ship near the bridge and the engineering sections of the ship. Fighting was fierce as the ship's crew moved to repel boarders.

**::SHIT, they've hit the K-F drive capacitors...power spiking!:: **

"Raven lead to all Ravens, BREAK BREAK BREAK! All hegemony ships clear Trickster's jump zone!"

She pulled back on her stick as the threat display lit up. The Trickster's K-F drive was primed to engage and they were in the two thousand meter bubble that the K-F drive field generated. If she jumped while the fighters were in that bubble it was all she wrote. They cleared the bubble just as the Trickster lit up like a small star…then disappeared from the universe.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 8**

**UNSC Naval Command**

**Manassas, Reach**

**16 September 2552**

Admiral Whitcomb was a happy man. The orbital factories were starting to mass produce the Ferro-Carbide armor, the planetary factories were building the energy weapons that would go onto the refitted Frigate class ships, and the orbital defenses were being strengthened against another Covenant assault. Life was good.

Then the phone rang. The red phone.

He didn't need anyone to tell him it was bad news. There was no other reason for the red phone to ring if it wasn't bad news. He took a deep breath and picked up the receiver.

"Sitrep," He ordered.

"Sir, at 0843 hrs one of the Hegemony ships jumped out of the system. At the exact same time the rest of the ships assumed an offensive posture and lit up the surrounding space with heavy sensor probes. At 0844 hrs we picked up a UNSC distress beacon coming from the area of the Hegemony fleet."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do we have a beacon ID?"

"UNSC _Point of No Return_ sir,"

"I see." He wanted to bang his head against a bulkhead. Damn ONI. "Has there been any contact with Admiral Ren?"

"Negative sir. Any ship that approaches their perimeter is immediately targeted and no com traffic has been detected. We've picked up a lot computer signals between the ships, but so far we haven't been able to crack their encryptions."

He stood. "Put the fleet on standby alert, but take no actions that can be considered hostile. Order all ships to give the Hegemony fleet a wide berth."

"Yes sir." The Officer of the Watch replied.

Dan stood and made his way from his office to the war room, which was a madhouse of activity. The UNSC _Point of No Return_ was a stealth cruiser built by ONI for special operations behind enemy lines, and its presence near the Hegemony fleet did not bode well. He made his way to the main holo tank were several officers were directing orbital traffic away from the Hegemony ships, which were showing up in a large red sphere just outside the effective Super MAC range, right in front of Tribute. If a MAC round fired at full power hit one of the Hegemony ships, it would probably destroy it, and then destroy the planet right behind it. He took his place at the holo tank and pulled a headset on and connected to Admiral Freemont onboard the _Thermopylae_.

"Roland, this is Dan, what do you have for me?"

"It's a clusterfuck Dan," Roland replied. "From what we have been able to piece together ONI tried to take a Hegemony destroyer and caused it to jump. From what we know of Hegemony tech, a random jump is a very bad thing."

"Are we positive it was an ONI op?"

"Dan, if this wasn't an ONI op, I'll eat a _Halcyon_," Roland replied. "There is absolutely no reason for a UNSC ship to be in their Operational Area. Hell, HIGHCOM gave explicit orders to leave them alone."

"We need facts Roland, not guesses." Dan replied. "I'll try to-"

"Admiral, we're getting an open transmission from the _Victory_," One of the comtechs spoke.

The holo tank shifted to reveal the interior security footage from the Trickster. Dan narrowed his eyes as he watched the events unfold.

"Fuck!" He punched the console.

"Sir, we are getting a message from the _Odysseus_."

He took a deep breath to calm down. "Patch it through."

* * *

**Shadow of Intent**

**Alpha Halo, Iota Horologii**

The view from the bridge was magnificent. The sacred ring hung against the backdrop of the gas giant Threshold, a silent monument to the Great Ones who built it. The Prophets discovered the Sacred Ring not too long ago, but it wasn't until the disaster at Reach that the fleets of the Covenant actually found the icon. The ships tasked with guarding the relic went silent after the battle. No one knows what happened to Sesa 'Refumee and his forces. Thel believed the Prophets ordered the Sangheili warrior to investigate the Sacred Ring, but he did not voice his thoughts. Although the rank of Arbiter was one of shame, there was a time it was a position of high honor. Thel wished silently to make it so. It was annoying that the Brutes were the ones who found the Ring, and he wondered silently if it was from the Brute Corvette that this discovery was made.

Rtas 'Vadum commanded the unit of elite troops that would escort Thel to the Ring's surface and the last known position of Sesa, and to execute the warrior if it proved necessary. Thel watched Rtas gather his forces. It was a unit comprised of Sangheili, Mgalekgolo, and Unggoy, all of them in the black colors of Covenant Special Forces. He could see that they were a close nit unit. There was no Kig-Yar or Jiralhanae in the unit. Neither Rtas nor Thel liked the Brutes, and the Kig-Yar, while efficient with their sniper rifles, were too flighty. There were, in all, a very tight knit group.

"Has contact been made with the _Triumph of the Spirit_?" Thel asked, turning away from the viewport.

"No Arbiter." The Shipmaster replied. "None of the ships are currently in orbit and have landed on the Sacred Ring."

"Strange," Thel muttered.

"Arbiter?" The Shipmaster clicked his mandibles together lightly.

"Continue contacting the _Triumph_ until they respond," Thel spoke. "And prepare a Spirit for landing. If Sesa has landed his fleet, then we must be prepared to follow."

"Is it proper to land on the Sacred Ring?" Rtas spoke finally.

"We have orders from the Prophet of Truth to investigate why Sesa 'Refumee is not at his post. If he has traveled to the surface of the Sacred Ring, then we must follow to find out why." Thel replied. "We have leeway to land and investigate further should it be warranted."

"I do not like this," Rtas frowned.

"Shipmaster, bring us to a low orbit," Thel commanded. "Commander Rtas, prepare your men."

The massive Covenant Assault Carrier slowed to descent speed and dove towards the Ring. Thel could see the surface below the clouds, a wondrous world created by the Forerunners. He was struck for a moment of the majesty of it all.

"Arbiter," Rtas spoke, breaking Thel's concentration. "If we are going to do this fool's errand then let us be off."

Thel followed Rtas out of the bridge and down the corridors until they reached the main hanger deck. Four Sangheili, twelve Unggoy, and a bonded pair of Mgalekgolo. It would be a tight ride down to the Ring, but it would be would not be long. Everyone loaded on the transport, with the two Mgalekgolo loading last, because they would be the first on the ground, ready to engage any threat that might appear, even if it was on holy ground. The Mgalekgolo were similar to the Sangheili in respect to their rigid code of honor, and of all the Covenant races, the Mgalekgolo were the ones most aligned with the Sangheili.

The Spirit plowed through the Ring's atmospheric barrier and flew across the rugged terrain until it reached what appeared to be a Forerunner structure in a small valley near the shoreline. There were Unggoy and Kig-Yar moving around the structure, and they all panicked and ran when the Spirit ghosted to the ground and the two Mgalekgolo jumped out. The panicking grunts and jackals fired sporadically at the two behemoths, which quickly charged into battle. The SpecForces Unggoy were next on the ground, each moving quickly and professionally to secure the landing zone as the Sangheili leapt down to the surface. The Spirit's turret began firing as several more grunts appeared along the opposite ridgeline, and the transport slowly lifted off for the return trip to the Shadow of Intent.

With the last jackal dead Thel moved towards the entrance with Rtas following close behind.

"Why did they attack us?" Thel wondered aloud.

"Their lives were forfeit the moment they did fire on us," Rtas replied.

"Agreed," Thel spoke. "They were protecting this place. What did they find that would cause them to forego their oaths to the Covenant?"

They entered the open portal and made their way down into the depths of the structure. The architecture was as Thel has seen many times before. There was no activity, no life signs, apart from the gently hum of the Forerunner machinery. He reached out and touched one of the glyphs on the wall. He wasn't sure of the meanings of the runes, but they all seemed to point to a singular destination that was further down. The two Mgalekgolo remained above with half the Unggoy and Rtas's second, to watch and observe if any should appear.

"Arbiter, we have detected a group of Jiralhanae moving towards a tropical region of the Ring." The shipmaster radioed. "They appear to be from Tartarus's clan."

"What is that fool doing?" Rtas questioned. "None of his clan nor his forces were assigned to this sector."

"He is ambitious," Thel agreed. "Perhaps he seeks favor with the Prophets."

They reached the center chamber where a holographic interface lit up. Thel touched the icon and the room lit up, the glyphs more familiar to him as this was a very holy place.

_The Silent Cartographer_

* * *

**UNSC Odysseus**

Jacob pulled his jacket on as he entered the bridge, alarms blaring. He made his way to the improvised command station as Cortana appeared on the main holo-projector. The crew was quickly moving to their combat stations and he noted that the rest of the Eridani Fleet was also coming to alert status.

"What is the SITREP Cortana?" Jacob asked.

"One of the Hegemony ships just jumped." She announced. "And right after that, we picked up a UNSC distress beacon in the general vicinity of the Hegemony ship that just jumped."

"ONI?" Jacob asked.

"It is possible," She replied. "We're getting a message from FLEETCOM ordering all UNSC ships to avoid the Hegemony fleet. I'm detecting high power sensors and targeting systems coming on line as we speak."

Jacob shook his head. Things just got worse. "Get me a line to Admiral Whitcomb."

"Connecting," Cortana replied.

Jacob waited a moment before Admiral Whitcomb appeared. From what he could see the War Room was awash with frantic activity.

"Captain Keyes, what is your status?"

"We've loaded the last of the stores and all systems are ready for deployment." Jacob replied. His crew had been working overtime to get the Covenant ship repaired fully. There were a lot of power cables laying the corridors that ran to various systems, bypassing some of the more damaged power relays. The ship was at eighty percent combat ready, which was more than enough for the mission at hand. "If I may ask sir, what is the situation with the Hegemony Fleet?"

"Fucking ONI pulled some of their cowboy shit and it went south quick," Dan replied. "I'm waiting for orders from HIGHCOM on how to respond to the situation."

"Captain, I'm detecting high energy buildups emanating from the Hegemony Fleet," Cortana interjected. "Power spikes are similar to when they arrived…"

Jacob's eyes flashed to the monitor as the Victory disappeared. One moment it was there and the next it was not. The rest of the massive warships and transports jumped as well moments later. The last were the lighter combatants until the space was empty but for massive surges in electromagnetic and thermal radiation.

"They're gone." Cortana reported.

Admiral Whitcomb did not look pleased to say the least. "Captain, how soon can you deploy?"

"We can be underway in six hours."

"I want you gone in four," Dan replied. "You are to jump to Tau Ceti immediately. Take out that fleet by any means necessary. The Prophet is secondary."

"Sir," Jacob saluted. The video feed cut out and Jacob looked to Cortana.

"Get us ready for deployment and have the Spartans and Marines assemble for a briefing on the hanger deck."

"Yes sir," She replied.

Jacob turned and left the bridge, moving towards the hanger deck. The engineering teams were moving as quickly as they could to get the ship ready, and he paused to speak to the chief engineer about their immediate deployment. The engineer wasn't too happy, but he gave his word that the ship would be as ready as possible. The exterior hull damage was left alone to aid in the illusion that the _Odysseus_ was a survivor of the Battle of Reach that only just now was able to make it to friendly territory. The renaming of the ship wasn't lost on him either. The mission was a huge risk, but any mission during wartime was a risk, especially when it put one of the best Spartan Teams in the line of fire. But then again, going into harm's way was what they did best.

He reached the hanger deck where the assembled Spartans, Marines, and ODSTs stood. They all came to attention when Jacob entered the perimeter, and formed up into their respective units. He nodded once before speaking.

"We deploy in four hours." Jacob said. "Some of you may have heard the scuttlebutt that there was an incident with the Hegemony. There was and Vice Admiral Whitcomb has ordered us to deploy early. Our primary objective is the same, destroy the enemy fleet at Tau Ceti. Our secondary mission has become optional. If we can grab the Prophet we will, but if not we'll let him burn with the rest of their damned fleet. We have an opportunity to keep the momentum going and turn this war around, I'll be damned if we let this opportunity pass us by. In four hours we will leave orbit and jump to Tau Ceti. Once we get there, we position the ship to do the most damage and we will evacuate using the Stealth Corvettes. We will take another ship if we have to, but make no mistake, the enemy will fall."

Frederic gathered Blue Team in their barracks after the speech by Captain Keyes. All of them were ready for the fight ahead, but he wanted to sound them out about the latest intel. He looked at all of the familiar faces for this op, John, Linda, Kelly, Grace, and James, plus additional faces in the forms of Joshua, Anton, and William. There would have been more Spartan IIs in the mix but most of the others were injured and unable to join the mission. Fred sat on a crate of weapons as the others relaxed around him.

"Normally we just hit a target until it stays down," Fred began. "But this mission will not be a standard one, especially if we have to engage in boarding actions."

"Since when have any of our missions been standard?" Kelly joked. This brought a chuckle from some of the Spartans.

"Seriously," Fred replied. "We all know what we're facing. Even if the mission to grab a Prophet has been made into a target of opportunity, we're still going to have to think quick and move quicker. Odds are we're going to have to board another enemy ship to secure it for our ride home. Don't count on the stealth corvettes. We all know how plans can go south real quick."

"Why don't we just get to what everyone is thinking about…" Grace spoke. "The Hegemony."

Frederic looked at everyone. They all wore bored expressions, but he knew that they were all on edge. If the rumors that were now flying across the ship were true, ONI had attempted to forcibly take a Hegemony ship, and that meant NavSpecWarCom, probably Spartan IIIs. Since the battle ended there was a great deal of speculation as to how a Spartan would face off against a Hegemony battle armor trooper. A Spartan II perhaps had the advantage in strength, and the Mjolnir armor allowed for a great deal of damage to be absorbed, but the same could be said about the Hegemony infantry. They all had witnessed almost insane tactics in the Battle for Reach, as if each and every trooper fought to establish their own bragging rights. The possibility of them facing each other on the field of battle just became more possible.

"What do you think John?" Linda fiddled with a detonator.

While he wasn't the leader of this mission, he knew everyone would defer to him in a pinch. They all knew he was perhaps the pinnacle of the Spartan program, not to mention the luckiest man that had any right to exist.

"I don't," He replied in his gravelly voice. "We might run into them again, but that doesn't mean we'll be on opposite ends of the battlefield. Of course, I could be wrong. I'm sure the Hegemony has contingency plans in place just as I am sure the UNSC has."

Lieutenant Elias Haverson stepped off the ramp of the Pelican as a team of engineers stomped onto the transport. The crews were putting the final touches on the repairs to the ship before pulling out. Admiral Whitcomb ordered him onboard the ship to function as a intelligence officer for Captain Keyes, and he was a bit nervous to the posting. Captain Keyes was nearly as famous as Admiral Preston Cole, and a successful assignment would be a boon to his career. That is, if he survives the mission. One of the ratings came up to him and saluted.

"Sir, Captain Keyes is waiting for you on the bridge sir."

Elias nodded and picked up his sealed briefcase. "Lead on."

* * *

**HAFS Victory**

**Nadir Jump Point, Iota Horologii **

To say that Admiral Ren was enraged would be an understatement. The loss of the HAFS _Trickster_ was a blow to both her combat effectiveness as well as morale. It has been nearly fifty years since the HAF lost a ship to an unexpected enemy. They recovered that ship, but she wasn't sure if they could retrieve or even find the _Trickster_. Hegemony scientists managed to increase the standard jump range to one hundred light years instead of the old standard of thirty, and research was underway to increase that range even further. Engineers onboard the Liverpool that were examining the captured Covenant Assault Carrier informed her that the drive system of the alien ship promised great advances for their small fleet. All they need is a safe harbor to take the enemy ship apart for further study. She had planned to remain at Epsilon Eridani for another week at least to plan out her offensive on the Ring construct, but the deceitfulness of the UNSC ONI forced her to make her move before she was fully prepared. Instead of jumping right into Ring's orbit, she ordered her forces to the Nadir Jump point. Analysis of the Covenant sensor systems gave her a good idea that they wouldn't see the jump footprint, especially since the Liverpool was towing the massive Covenant carrier. Rigging the Covenant ships for towing wasn't too much of a problem, but it worried her that moving that amount of mass might stress the K-F drives to the breaking point.

**::SITREP::** She sent across the TACNET, and listened as all remaining ships checked in as ready for combat. The transports would remain behind with the Cataphract and the Yeoman remaining behind to cover the valuable ships. She nodded to herself at the report, and watched the CAG deploy three stars of Aerospace fighters for Combat Aerospace Patrol. The jump probe in system had managed to sneak within an AU of the Ring to observe the Covenant presence in the system. There were five cruisers class ships in orbit, one on the ground, and one new arrival in the form of an Assault Carrier. Her ELINT staff had cracked the Covenant network and was listening in from links on board the Covenant Assault Carrier. So far they had managed to download the entirety of the Covenant history and fleet structure, as well as the capabilities of each member race. She knew who she was facing on the Ring.

The crew of the fleet were angry as well, and spoiling for a fight. She could sense the mood of her crew keenly, and she too wished to assuage her bloodlust. But as commander of the fleet she could not afford to let her emotions run wild.

**::Admiral, we're getting com signals from the Ring::** Captain Julia Ramius, her ELINT CO, send across the TACNET.

**::Covenant?::**

**::Negative. SIGINT is unlike anything I have ever encountered::**

**::Is the signal hostile?::**

**::Unknown:: **

Mei Yan could feel the woman's confusion.

**::Admiral, I think we are dealing with an AI of unknown origin::**

**::Initiate ZEUS protocols::** Mei Yan replied. **::Maintain full firewall and disengage all routers. If the unknown breaks the first line, shut down the TACNET. We'll fight the old fashioned way::**

Mei Yan turned as the bridge hatch opened, then looked back to the holotank. The HAFS Long March was powering up for a stealth run into the inner system to further gage the capabilities of the Covenant defenders. Her K-F drive was charged from the ship's batteries for an emergency jump should it be needed, but Mei Yan was confident the ECM algorithms her EWO came up with would be able to spoof the Covenant sensor systems.

"The UNSC is has no honor," Her guest spoke in a rumbling voice. "You approached them with honor and they betray you."

"Not so much the UNSC as their ONI," Mei Yan frowned. "I did not expect you to be up and about so soon."

"We are a hearty breed."

"Indeed," She replied, turning to face him fully. "Tell me of your people N'tho 'Sraom…tell me of the Sangheili."

* * *

**TOE- 71st Assault Wing**

Admiral Mei Yan Ren, CO

HAFS _Victory_- Trafalgar class Battlecarrier

4 DropShips- 2 Achilles Mk II, 2 Phalanx

HAFS _Long March_- Revolution class Battlecruiser

2 DropShips- Achilles Mk II

HAFS _Admiral Graf Spee_- Hood C class Battlecruiser

4 DropShips- Achilles Mk II

HAFS _Scharnhorst_- Hood C class Battlecruiser

4 DropShips- Achilles Mk II

HAFS _Seeker_- Vigilance class Cruiser

6 DropShips- Colossus Mk II

HAFS _Wanderer_- Vigilance class Cruiser

6 DropShips- BattleFortress

HAFS _Trade Winds_- Vigilance class Cruiser

6 DropShips- 2 BattleFortress, 4 Praetorian

HAFS _Cape Horn_- Vigilance class Cruiser

6 DropShips- 2 BattleFortress, 4 Praetorian

HAFS _Grenadier_- Amazon class Frigate

6 DropShips- Colossus Mk II

HAFS _Spatha_- Amazon class Frigate

6 DropShips- Assault Triumph Mk III

HAFS _Dragoon_- Amazon class Frigate

6 DropShips- Phalanx

HAFS _Cataphract_- Amazon class Frigate

6 DropShips- Noruff Mk III

HAFS _Yeoman_- Amazon class Frigate

6 DropShips- Praetorian

HAFS _Clibanari_- Amazon class Frigate

6 DropShips- BattleFortress

HAFS _Ares_- Gaia class Destroyer

HAFS _Yen Lo Wang_- Gaia class Destroyer

HAFS _Trickster_- Gaia class Destroyer

HAFS _Athena_- Gaia class Destroyer

**Temporarily attached to the 71st-**

HAFS _McCaffery_- Asimov class Transport

16 DropShips- 6 Mule, 4 Monarch (medical transport), 6 Conquistador C

HAFS _Heinlein_- Asimov class Transport

16 DropShips- 10 Jump Probes, 6 Mule

HAFS _Stackpole_- Asimov class Transport

16 DropShips- Mammoth

HAFS _Liverpool_- Revenant class YardShip

50 DropShips- 10 Behemoth, 15 Mammoth, 15 Mule, 5 Achilles II, 5 Model 99 'Octopus II'

**DropShips-**

_Behemoth, Mammoth, Mule_, and _Monarch_ class DropShips are civilian transports and cargo haulers. Monarch class DropShips have been refitted for medical evacuation and transportation. All DropShips have been updated with new technologies.

_Model 99 'Octopus II'_ is a heavy tug for recovering stricken DropShips and WarShips.

_Achilles II _is a refit of the popular attack DropShip

_Conquistador C _is the refit to a long range science DropShip

_Phalanx_ is a fast aerodyne DropShip designed for ground support of Royal BattleMech Divisions and Regimental Combat Teams

_Praetorian_ is designed to transport and support Battle Armor and Armored Forces

_BattleFortress_ is a refit of the old Fortress class DropShip to increase firepower

_Colossus Mk II_ is a refit of the old Star League era heavy BattleMech DropShip


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 9**

**UNSC Odysseus**

**Tau Ceti**

**8 September 2552**

It was an impressive gathering of Covenant ships, all of them in close orbit around the massive space station that was the Unyielding Hierophant. Captain Keyes watched the data flow across the screen as he weighted their options. The two Nova Bombs would definitely take out the Covenant Station and their fleet, but getting them into position is the tricky part. The Odysseus was currently lurking in the outer system, but they were tagged as soon as emerged from Slipspace. Cortana had managed to convince them that they were stragglers from the failed Reach offensive, citing damage to their communications and slipspace drive as to why they were only arriving so late to the staging area.

Jacob listened to the com traffic as the ship slowly made its way to the inner system. Lt. Haverson worked the SIGINT as it was relayed from Cortana.

"Captain, right now our biggest problem will be getting all of them in one place," Elias said.

"I am going to guess you have a suggestion?" Jacob replied.

"Sir," Elias nodded. "ONI has managed to create an object that the Covenant might be interested in. This object is similar to some items discovered on Arcadia by the Spirit of Fire twenty one years ago by Dr. Anders. We managed to replicate some of the effects from her notes."

Jacob frowned. ONI was not exactly covering itself in glory with the Hegemony Fiasco, and the young officer was keeping to himself quite a bit since he came on board. There was a lot going on in ONI that he didn't know about, and the ramifications he knew were going to affect everything in the UNSC.

"And the effect of this would be?"

"The odds are good that the Covenant will discover that humans are commanding this ship. We reveal the construct at the right time, and every Covenant Commander will move their ship into the kill zone."

"You're talking a suicide mission."

"We all knew the risks when the mission was announced Captain," Elias replied. "The enemy fleet is too spread out."

"The covenant is well within the maximum blast radius of the warheads," Cortana replied. "I have activated the Dumb AI in the ship's systems to make sure the ship is close enough to the Unyielding Hierophant. The radiation flash will kill or cripple those ships not in the initial shockwave."

"What is our ETA?"

"We'll be in position in two hours. I'm fluttering our drives to make it look like we have engine damage," Cortana reported. "I'm getting a lot of interesting Com traffic though."

"Anything we should be concerned about?" Jacob asked.

"Most of it looks like standard ship to ship traffic, but we're getting references to an 'Ark'."

**Installation 04**

Thel led the warriors into the main chamber. They fought their way down to the control room, but had to find the access control room that would unlock the main chamber. After an hour of searching they found the access panel, and with the touch of his hand, the _silent cartographer_ came to life. They marveled silently at the holographic construct before Thel pointed a leathery finger.

"There," he spoke.

"Are you sure Arbiter?" Rtas fidgeted.

"No, but it appears to be the central control center for the Sacred Ring." Thel replied. "If Sesa is here on the Ring, then it would be the first place to look."

"As you say," Rtas spoke.

Thel touched the panel reverently once before leading the Special Forces out of the building. Overhead a Spirit from the Shadow of Intent floated down and opened its troop bays for the team to board. He walked back to the pilot and relayed the next set of coordinates. The Spirit rose on its gravity drive and raced off towards the Ring's Command Center.

"Arbiter, we have confirmation that Tartarus's forces are on the ring," the pilot relayed. "They are here under orders from the Prophet Truth."

"Why does the Prophet send additional forces?" Rtas questioned. "Are we not enough to take care of anything that might be wrong?"

"We are all servants of the Prophets." Thel said. "It is not our place to question their directives."

Thel could tell his words did not sit well with the Elite, but there was little he could do to ease his worry. In truth, he was worried as well. He feared that his failure at the human planet had cast doubt on his race, but it was a small fear. Ever since the Covenant's conception the Sangheili were the right hand of the Prophets. He knew about the small minority of Sangheili who disagreed with the Prophets about the Humans, but he had never heard any such heresies muttered in his presence.

Thel looked out and watched as the Spirit approached an angular, pyramid like structure. In the distance he could see banshees rising from the platforms. This heresy has spread further than Thel thought.

* * *

**HAFS Long March**

Captain Michelle Rivera watched from her position at the holotank at the Ring grew larger. The Battlecruiser was on silent running as they coasted at a respectable 5gees. Electronic emissions had been reduced to a minimum, and the ship's heat sinks were more than powerful enough to keep the ship running cold even in combat. As per standing orders, the ship's K-F drive was charged and coordinates locked in for a jump back to the fleet if it was needed. Her biggest worry was the acceleration profile of the Covenant ships. Reports from the _Liverpool_ showed that the Covenant ships were faster than Hegemony ships and their advanced power plants and gravitic drive systems were unlike anything seen. However, the Covenant's technological superiority was only limited by their stupidity.

**::Lieutenant Caine, is your team ready?::** She sent to the SAS team on the flight deck. Lt. Joanna Caine and her Special Forces team transferred from the _Victory_ for the mission. They were to drop onto the Ring for some recon to assess the threat level presented by the Covenant forces. Her twelve man team was trained to use the latest battle armor systems as well as piloting the latest in LAMs. They all flew the Void-sig equipped _Shadow_ LAMs. Each LAM was outfitted with a Displacer series Phase-PPC, two Series VII Heavy Medium Lasers, two Angstrom ATM-3s, and an advanced ECM suite that complimented and powered the Void-Sig system. There was a two ton capacity cargo bay build into the right torso which held supplies and a suit of _Arkadian_ Mk IV light battle armor.

**::We're ready to launch Captain::** Joanna replied. She signaled the deck chief that she was ready as the LAM's canopy closed and sealed. She glanced over her shoulder to see the rest of her squad also ready to go. All of the LAMs were in their aerospace mode to maximize the stealth features of the design as well as the Void-Sig system. The parabolic course of the _Long March_ would take her over the Ring itself and back towards the fleet, but not before running comprehensive scans of the object while the SAS team checked things out on the ground.

Michelle opened the aft bay doors and allowed the LAMs to drift out behind the Battlecruiser. She watched as the fighters rolled onto a new heading and executed a full over-thrust burn towards the Ring. They were far enough away to stay out of the Covenant's passive sensors. There were no active sensors emanating from any of the Covenant ships, and no reaction to their presence. She knew that if the Covenant knew they were here, they would have moved to attack instantly. They were accustomed to being the big kid on the block.

"Signal the _Victory_. Tell the Admiral that the package has been deployed and we are preparing to execute our sweep." Michelle spoke. She watched the fighters ghost past the Covenant picket to become the first humans to land on Installation 04. While the _Long March_ wasn't a science or research vessel, she did maintain a powerful suite of sensors tied into the ship's fire control systems. Even on passive mode there was a lot of data coming into the computers, which was encrypted and sent through the TACNET to the _Heinlein_ and _McCaffery_. Optical sensors picked out odd, geometric structures that dotted the surface of the Ring. Spectrographic readings indicated that the Ring was perfect for habitation, although with no flora. Apart from a wide variety of Fauna, the Ring was empty of life.

Except for the Covenant. Michelle watched each 'hot spot' light up on the Ring where the Covenant had a presence. She could see that there were large concentrations around two areas, one in a mountainous region, and the other in a swamp/wetlands area.

**::Admiral, we are coasting over the Ring now::**

**::Roger that Long March, be advised of increased communications chatter on frequency 319.31. How are your firewalls?:: **Admiral Ren replied.

**::Firewalls at full strength. Zeus protocols in effect::** Michelle replied.

Zeus Protocols were enacted in 2975 in the aftermath of the Zeus Incident on Tartarus, a hell world in the inner Olympus System. Zeus was the name of the Hegemonies first and only AI. When Zeus went 'rogue', it took the combined forces of a Royal BattleMech regiment in addition to three WarShips to destroy it before it managed to break free from its hardware dongle locks. In the aftermath, a full company of 'Mechs sacrificed themselves by detonating their fusion engines at ground zero followed by a full orbital bombardment from the WarShips to make sure the AI was destroyed. AI research was limited to theoretical explorations and how to neutralize AIs if any were created by the Great Houses. It wasn't until the Jihad that all of the tactics and research came into play when Typhon, Special Forces teams designed exclusively for cyber-warfare, were launched into battle against the Manei Domini. Everything related to the war between the Typhon and the Manei Domini was classified at the end of the war, eyes only for those of Captain's rank and above. To date there were still unaccounted for Manei Domini and they were relentlessly hunted. There were three confirmed kills on Apollyon alone, and it was believed that the Manei Domini were nearly on par with Hegemony technology wise.

**::Very good. Lieutenant Caine is qualified to take action should it deem necessary::** Admiral Ren replied.

::**Yes ma'am. We are getting some interesting readings off the passive sensors::**

**::I see them::** Dr. Halsey came into the link. **::Metallurgy is similar to what can do, but the fabrication methods are quite interesting::**

**::How so Doctor?::** Qian inquired.

**::A lot of the surface structures, not to mention internal structures, are one piece. I would ask to examine the structures further when we take the objective::** Thaddeus asked.

Michelle rubbed her chin. She spent a few years overseeing the Titan yards before winning command of the Long March, and the nano-fabricators at the ship yard could extrude a ship's hull in eight pieces. Some of the structures on the surface were as big as the Victory. To create a structure with one pass spoke of a either a massive fabrication plant, or their nano-technology was light years ahead of the Hegemony's own.

**::We'll have to secure the Ring and fortify our position against all anyone who might show up::** Qian replied. **::We need some hard Intel about this structure::**

**::We'll be past their passive sensors in one hour:: **Michelle said**. ::There seems to be some confusion in the Covenant ranks from the com traffic we're picking up::**

**::71****st****, assume attack formation and prepare for acceleration::** Qian ordered. **::Long March, take up over-watch. I want us in the optimal position before we engage::**

* * *

**UNSC Odysseus**

"Captain, we're in position," Cortana said. "No reaction from the Covenant."

"Anything on their battle net?" Jacob asked.

"They've been focusing on the arrival of Regret." She replied. "But there is a lot of talk about 'Sacred Rings' and the 'Great Journey'".

"And Regret's arrival?"

"He will arrive tomorrow on schedule." Cortana replied.

"Arm the warheads," Jacob ordered. "And get all personnel to their action stations."

The crew rushed into action as the Covenant Stealth Corvette was prepped for launch. The Marines and ODSTs moved their operations to the ship's main hanger as the Spartans loaded the last supplies into the corvette.

Elias entered the bridge with his case and set it on the makeshift command console. Jacob looked at him as he fiddled with the box.

"We may not need your bag of tricks Lt." Jacob gathered the last of his papers.

"I'll believe it when we are safely back at Reach." Elias replied. "There are a thousand different things that could go wrong between now and later."

"I am fully aware of the problems we might face." Jacob replied. "Cortana."

Cortana flashed into existence.

"Captain?"

"Have programmed the dumb AI into the ship's computer?"

"Affirmative."

Jacob nodded. "Have Master Chief come to the bridge. He'll be your guardian until we get back home."

"With all due respect Captain, I think we might need a backup plan."

The entire ship shuddered as if struck by a hammer.

"SITREP!" Jacob ordered.

"We just got boarded by a Covenant Spirit." Cortana replied. "They tried to land in the main bay and were destroyed by the combined fire from the Spartans and the ODSTs."

Elias opened the case and pushed the button inside. "Definitely need a backup."

* * *

**HAFS Heinlein**

Thaddeus studied the data streaming in from the _Long March_ as several techs worked on the prototype AI behind him. The data provided by the UNSC gave him several key insights to the AI problems that they had with the original Zeus Project. The Zeus Project used several processing algorithms that replicated the patterns of the human brain, but flash cloning a brain as the basis was something they did not think of. Of course, with the 'iron womb' technology, it was possible to do such cloning, but the process could be tricky. The UNSC database filled in a lot of those gaps. In another part of the lab, techs were working on the Covenant's shielding system. They had the device on one of the many work tables, meticulously taking reading and measurements before disassembling the device for further analysis and replication.

"Dr. Halsey, we're ready to begin the initialization sequence." The lead tech reported.

Thaddeus looked up from the PDA. The data from the ring was fascinating. Engineering, as well as terra forming, on a massive scale. From what he was able to ascertain the ring was built as one massive frame, with components added during the later phases of construction. Terra forming was completed last, and this one being a lush, temperate world. He set down the PDA and turned to the AI project. They used Admiral Ren's brain as the basis for the AI with her permission, and did the scan remotely from the Victory's medical bay. So far everything was working as planned.

"Begin the initialization," Thaddeus ordered. The AI was built into an isolated system with just a holographic projector for an outlet. It wasn't the most optimal solution or lab space to create an AI, but it was the best he had available.

* * *

**UNSC Odysseus**

Master Chief held on as the blast shook the ship. It was not entirely unexpected, most plans involving ONI always ended badly. He made his way to the bridge where Captain Keyes was beginning the evacuation of the crew and Lt. Haverson was making adjustments to the case he always carried with him. He stood aside as three techs raced out, carrying the last data cores to the waiting corvette. John snapped to attention as Jacob turned.

"Right on time Chief," He said. He pulled a data chip out of the computer and handed it over to the hulking Spartan. "Take good care of her."

"Yes sir," John replied, sliding the chip into the socket at the back of his neck. He fought the urge to shiver as the AI entered his mind. "We should be going."

He could tell the Captain was conflicted.

"Captain, it is our responsibility to make sure all senior officers abandon ship when needed," John spoke. "We have to go now before the Covenant cuts off our evac route."

"He's right Captain," Elias replied. "We need to leave now. Cortana can handle it from here."

"Begin the countdown," Jacob ordered as John ushered the two men out of the room.

"_I've set the countdown for ten minutes with a failsafe_," Cortana said. _"Sensors are detecting Covenant boarding pods inbound."_

"What's the status of the Corvette?"

"_Blue Team is standing by the main access hatch. All personnel are onboard and ready to depart."_

The ship shook as the Covenant plasma torpedoes smashed into the shields, tossing the three men against one of the bulkheads. The sense of urgency increased as they ran down to the open hanger deck. John pulled the BA55 off his back magnetic clamp and readied it in case of Covenant interference. The ship shook again as the Covenant fire penetrated the shields and impacted against the dorsal hull.

"_Five minutes remaining,"_ Cortana reported.

They made it to the ship with two minutes to spare.

Jacob led everyone onboard as he raced to the bridge, followed by Elias and the Master Chief. "Get us out of here!"

The pilots lifted the corvette off the deck of the doomed ship as the Covenant fire intensified.

"How soon can we jump to slipspace?" Jacob asked.

"We have the coordinates locked in. The slipspace drive is charged," the pilot replied.

The corvette raced out of the bay, her stealth field engaging as swarms of Covenant Seraphs danced around the main bay. Bolts of plasma struck the corvette, sending power surges throughout the ship.

"Damn, we lost the navigational computer!" One of the pilots reported.

"_Chief, transfer me to the computer, quickly!" _Cortana spoke.

John placed his hand against one of the consoles to allow Cortana to jump from the AI chip in his head to the computer. He watched her reconfigure the ship's NavCom to a new set of jump coordinates as her 'twin' gave a countdown update. John didn't know much about stellar navigation, but he knew the coordinates weren't for the designated rendezvous point.

"_thirty seconds to detonation."_

"Cortana!" Jacob shouted.

The corvette rocked again as the other Covenant ships began firing as well. The shields flared against the impacts, but the stealth field held.

"_Ten seconds…"_

"Coordinates locked in," Cortana said. "Hold on!"

"_Eight…seven…six…five…"_

A slipspace rupture appeared before the Corvette.

"_three…two…one…"_

A brilliant light flooded the cockpit, and then there was darkness.

* * *

**Manassas, Reach**

The engineers weren't bothering with rebuilding, just debris removal. They were ordered to open up more space around the orbital defense generators for fire lanes, and reconstruction was not a priority. If the Covenant didn't return to take Reach, then they could worry about rebuilding, but when the ever present threat of glassing hung over everyone's heads, digging in was the only option.

They had been working for days when they found the body. Buried under tons of rubble and partially decomposed, the body wasn't a UNSC marine or army soldier. Part of the head, the right arm and most of the upper torso were gone, melted away during the hellish battle only a week before, but most of the body and armor it wore was quite recognizable. An elongated eight pointed star with a blood drop decorated the left knee with a number blazoned on the right knee and left arm. The armor was a black/red/gray color, and the remains indicated the operator was the size of a Spartan.

The military was notified and within an hour, a ONI team appeared and whisked the body and armor away.

* * *

**Installation 04 **

**Flood Containment Facility **

Brakekenus drove his forces deeper into the Forerunner structure. His orders from Tartarus were clear. Find a way to discredit the Arbiter and the Sangheili as well as find a weapon capable of winning the war. The Oracle at High Charity spoke of a great war in the past, and that great weapons were placed in storage for the return of the reclaimers. Tartarus, Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, desired to be that reclaimer, and would brook none who would stand before him.

Deeper into the depths of the Ring they went, forcing their way past the containment doors until they reached the bottom level. There were flashing red holograms everywhere, but he ignored them. The last door had to be broken open, and in doing so, disrupted the vital systems and sending warning sirens throughout the bay. Containment fields failed as he led his brutes into the chamber. The lights failed, spooking the younger brutes.

Brakekenus hefted his gravity hammer as something caught his eye.

The floor moved.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 10**

**HAFS Trickster**

**Location- Unknown**

**Date- Unknown**

Captain Leanne Graves pushed herself up from the deck of the ship, smoke filtering slowly out from the vents. Sparks flew out from several consoles as a couple of the bridge crew worked to contain possible fires and keep the ship from breaking up.

"Damage Report!" She ordered, pulling herself up to the holotank. She glanced around until her eyes fell on the green armored forms that laid in heaps near the auxiliary access hatch. The bodies of several crew and marines lay intermingled with the intruders. She remembered.

_A yeoman handed her the latest status reports from her command staff. They had repaired the damage taken during the battle, but were still experiencing some problems with their sensor network. Leanne signed off on the reports and handed the PDD back to the yeoman, who took the logs to have them entered into the ship's record. There was still a lot of sadness among her crew. A lot of good men and women died during the battle when the Covenant's weapons penetrated the shields. If not for the ship's construction the damage could have been much greater. _

"_Anything on the boards?" She asked her XO, Commander Tatiana Vagyr. _

"_Just routine traffic," She replied. "Star Captain Djerassi is running drill with the Marines and Chief Jurgen reports that Bravo squadron is undergoing maintenance."_

"_CAP?"_

"_Colonel Dubois is flying CAP with her wing."_

_Leanne accepted a mug of coffee from a steward as she spotted a blinking light on the status board._

"_Captain, we're getting access hatch warnings on the secondary Engineering hatch and the forward bridge hatch," one of her techs reported. _

_She frowned. "Djerassi's Elementals?"_

"_Negative-"_

_The ship shuddered as if it was stuck with Thor's hammer. Hull breach warnings flashed along her console and the sensors indicated hostile forces flooding into the openings._

"_INTRUDER ALERT! All hands to combat stations."_

_Leanne reached down to the side of the Holotank and opened a panel and pulled out a pair of Mauser IIIC assault rifles and tossed one of them to her XO. The rest of the bridge crew armed themselves as she opened the TACNET._

_**::This is the Trickster to all ships…we are declaring Code SIGMA…repeat Code SIGMA:: **__She send across the network. The holotank showed Raven Flight angling for an approach to cover the destroyer. _

_The main hatch to the bridge blew open, revealing several green armored forms, two of which dropped from combined pulse laser fire. Leanne ducked down behind the holotank as a couple of bridge crew fell, the concentrated machine gun fire overwhelming their biosuit's defenses. A tall Spartan charged forward as Leanne rolled and lined up her Mauser's grenade launcher and fired a sabot round into the soldier. The Spartan folded around the impact and collapsed as more stormed onto the bridge._

_The consoles that controlled the ship's jump drive blared warnings as the power capacitors that fed the massive engine overloaded. Her link to the ship's security system showed that there were running battles all over the ship, with the enemy forces concentrated on the bridge and engineering. It was a standard boarding action tactic, one that the Hegemony had used in the past, and were quite adept at repulsing, however, things that could go wrong often did._

_A stray round from one of the Spartan's battle rifles clipped a power relay switch located on the primary drive capacitor that led from the Lithium-Fusion battery to the K-F drive core. SOP called for the L-F battery to be kept at full charge at all times in case of an emergency jump. The bullet disabled the failsafe system that kept the power in reserve, causing the jump drive to begin a dangerous build up of power. The engineering computer, sensing the influx of power, immediately switched from standby to active in preparation for the jump. The engineering crew, engaged in with the Spartans IIIs, could not stop to bleed off the power._

_**::SHIT, they've hit the K-F drive capacitors...power spiking!:: **_

_Reality seemed to fold in on itself and then flatten. Leanne felt her heart flutter as the navigational computer was not connected nor were there any jump coordinates lock in. It was, for all intent and purposes, a blind jump. The acceleration compensators and artificial gravity strained under the load, but barely held. For a heartbeat, everyone on the ship experienced 20gs, more than enough to render everyone unconscious. She collapsed to the deck as did everyone else, defenders and aggressors alike…_

"We've got stress fractures along the starboard frame…HarJel sealant has been deployed," Tatiana said, bringing up the ship's schematics in the holotank. "The armor is regenerating at 15 percent efficiency."

A point of Elementals stormed onto the bridge seconds later.

"Captain, are you alright?" The Point Commander asked.

"SITREP," Leanne ordered.

"Enemy boarding force has been contained."

"Casualties?"

"We lost two Elementals to enemy fire and demolitions. Fourteen crew and eleven Marines are confirmed KIA."

"Prisoners?"

"We've captured three that looked like they were in charge." The Elemental reported. "Initial resistance was fierce, but once we jumped it incapacitated the attackers."

"How so?"

"They are all showing symptoms of severe TDS."

"Good," Leanne said. "Round them up and secure them in the brig."

"The brig may not hold them Captain. I would recommend Cargo bay two. It is empty of cargo and we can strip them down and threaten to vent the cargo bay if they do not behave."

"Make it so," She ordered. "Put the three leaders in lockdown and have Dr. Carter 'fix' them."

It was SOP for high value prisoners and high risk criminals to be injected with nanites to both monitor and control them if need be. There wasn't enough in the ship's stores to fix all of the attackers, but controlling the leaders would go towards controlling the rest. She had no problems with executing all of the attackers immediately, after all, they were in an unknown location, damaged, and had limited stores. While a fully stocked destroyer carried enough stores to keep the crew fed for one thousand days, the battle at Reach destroyed thirty percent of their supplies and they had not had time to replenish them from the _Stackpole_.

"Captain, we have a problem," Tatiana spoke. "We have a 'ghost' in the navigational computer."

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Leanne spoke. She tossed the Mauser to a crewman and glanced back at the Point Commander. "Carry on Star Commander."

The Elemental nodded and motioned to his team. They reached down and each snagged an unconscious Spartan in their massive battle claws. The armor they wore was a vast improvement over the old Elemental suits first seen in the Clan Invasions of 3049, whereas the original suits carried a small laser in the right arm, the new suits carried twin battle claws instead of one on the left arm, and twin plasma cannons slung underneath. For ground combat they carried a secondary backpack mounted weapon, but the overall look of the armor was the same as the original.

Leanne moved to the holotank.

"Do we have any navigational data on the system we're in?"

"The NavCom has been isolated from the other systems." Tatiana replied. "But we don't need the NavCom to identify this system."

Leanne frowned. "And you would know how?"

Tatiana brought the system up in the holotank. "We're at Vega."

Even in their own universe, the Vega system was dirty. A blue-tinged white main sequence star, Vega rotated so fast it bulged in the middle. There were several planetary bodies in the Vega system, but it was also home to a great deal of mineral wealth. Quite a few orbital factories existed in the Vega system, and those resources fed into the Hegemony's military machine.

"Vega," Leanne chewed the inside of her cheek. "Do we still have helm control?"

"All control systems apart from navigation are functioning normally." Tatiana replied. "QPG is non-responsive."

"Helm, bring us about, heading 320 mark 34, ten second burn and park us in the Caliban Rings. Deploy three drones to sectors 7-1, 3-8, and 1-5." She ordered, walking around the tank. "As soon as we are in the rings I want us to be a hole in space." She activated the com to Engineering.

"Engineering, this is the Captain,"

"2nd Engineer Tamlyn ma'am," The reply came. "Chief Engineer Sterns is in the medbay."

"Give me a SITREP Tamlyn." Leanne ordered.

"It's not good ma'am. Fire suppression system has been engaged in the port engine and the status board on the K-F drive is lit up like a Christmas tree. It is going to take us at least weeks to get the repairs completed in main engineering."

"I should hope not," Leanne spoke. "We need to get back to the fleet."

"Captain, without a fully functional K-F drive, we're going nowhere." Tamlyn said. "The main capacitor needs to be rebuilt from the ground up and we need a whole new K-F core."

"What is the status of the QPG?"

"The power spike fried several systems, but we can get it up and running within a week."

"Make it twenty four hours. If we can contact the Fleet the _Liverpool_ can rendezvous with us for repairs." Leanne said. "Focus on getting our communications back up."

"Yes ma'am."

"Where do you think the Fleet is right now?" Tatiana asked.

"The plan was to jump to _Iota Horologii_ to investigate the Ring," Leanne spoke. "Admiral Ren would have moved immediately after the attack to keep the fleet safe. Even if the fleet isn't there, the Jump Probe is."

"Con, sensor one, new contact bearing 135 mark 168!"

Leanne brought the feed to the Holotank. The passive sensors detected a ship moving in their general direction.

"All stop, silent running," Leanne ordered. Throughout the ship all non-essential power systems were shut down and electronic emissions were shunted through a series of specially designed baffles to mask any electronic signatures. The ship's running lights were shut off and the engines put into standby mode, with the destroyer's delta-v used to coast into the debris field.

"Do we have a silhouette or IFF?" Leanne leaned against the holotank.

The image on the holotank cleared a little, but more than enough to make an ID. A UNSC Frigate.

"IFF is squawking UNSC _Bellerophon_."

"I'm insulted," Leanne said. "I would have thought we'd at least rate a heavy cruiser. Keep the NavCom isolated until we get back up."

She brushed a stray hair out of her face.

"And get that DAMN QPG Fixed!"

CPO Franklin Mendez rolled over to press his hand against the cold deck as consciousness returned. It only took him moments to grasp the situation.

He was alive.

He was in an enclosed room, most likely a cell.

And he was nude.

Well, mostly nude except for a strange, three strand white cord around his wrist.

His head swam as he rose steadily to his feet, and he wondered how he was rendered unconscious so quickly. The battle, what he could remember of it, was as every bit as fierce as he had feared. He watched three of his kids cut down within moments of each other as they stormed their way to the bridge. Only three Spartans from Team Gladius reached the bridge before everything seemed to go haywire. It was like a bad slipspace jump, but one that seemed to stretch on forever until the pressure caused him to black out.

Blacking out in the middle of battle was a sure way to get oneself killed, or in his case, captured.

The cell was eight by eight feet, with a small ledge along the far wall with a thin mat atop it. A small metal toilet and basin was next to the bunk, both in the familiar metal motif. There didn't appear to be a door to the cell, but he could guess there was some kind of security system to keep him in. He hasn't been in a fix this bad since he and Avery were on their first mission back in the day when the only thing they had to worry about were Insurrectionists.

A shadow fell across his cell and he looked up to see what had to be the largest woman in the galaxy standing on the other side of entrance. She appeared to be Middle Eastern in origin, a mass of muscle and sinew that outstripped the physiques of the Spartan IIs. She was bald with the exception of a scalp lock and thick braid that hung down to her lower back, weighted down by a steel ball. Her clothing looked painted on, a black halter and shorts trimmed in crimson with an emblem of a scorpion on a sun over her left breast. From her right earlobe dangled a green eight pointed star with the southernmost point elongated.

She stared at him for the longest time before turning to leave. He guess she was the leader of their 'Spartans', having only seen a couple of vids of the action on Reach. He sat down on the bunk and rubbed the back of his head, wondering who survived and who fell in battle.

_Ten minutes before deployment Kurt looked at him._

"_This is going to end badly."_

_Franklin finished pulling on his SPI EVA armor and grabbed his BR55, locking it to his back holster and locking a M6C PDWS to his right hip._

"_Don't remind me." Franklin replied. "We have no layout of the ship apart from some quick scans by a passing Pelican and Ackerman wants us to take it."_

_He looked back to the three squads chosen for the mission. Most of them were green. Each squad built around a veteran, but that didn't mean that they would succeed in their first mission. ONI often looked at the Spartan IIIs as disposable troops good for spending against hardened enemy targets. For the most part they succeeded in all of the missions assigned to them, but at a frightful rate of attrition. _

"_ATTENTION ON DECK!" Kurt yelled. _

_Everyone snapped to attention as Colonel Ackerson entered the bay._

"_At ease," Ackerson said. _

_The Spartans relaxed._

"_This is the most important mission of your lives," He began. "Succeed, and the UNSC will win this war. Fail, and we risk losing everything."_

_We risk losing everything by attempting this, Thought Franklin. _

"_The Hegemony, while powerful, does not have a horse in this race. This isn't their home, we aren't their people. We will have to take matters into our own hands. That is all."_

_Ackerson nodded and left the hanger. _

"_Finalize your check lists and prepare for deployment," Kurt ordered. Each team had additional personnel assigned for this mission, which brought the number of operators per team to fifteen each. The additional troops were broken into two man fire teams with one equipped with a Model 6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle and M90 CAWS with the express mission to take down the Hegemony's battle armored troops. _

_The bay opened to reveal their target 1500 meters away, distorted by the ship's stealth field. The Point of No Return was coasting slowly by the Hegemony destroyer, and would intersect with the ship in ten minutes. The Spartans did a final check of their equipment as Kurt gave a hand signal. The first team out of the bay executed a full burn of their EVA packs to get them clear of the ONI ship's stealth field and onto an intercept trajectory. _

_Five minutes later the Spartans were floating just outside the ship's bridge and engineering access hatches._

_The firefight was every bit as brutal as he imagined it. They had secured the area around the hatches quickly, eliminating a couple of crewmen that had been in the area before the ship's Marines and battle armor showed up. A pair of their battle armor troops were taken down quickly with the Spartan Laser and massed M90 fire, but they quickly adapted to the weapons and the tide quickly turned until the universe seemed to invert, and his last vision was that of his Spartans falling to the ground._

Leanne sat at her station, savoring the aroma of freshly brewed tea as several techs ran replacement cables to one of the junction boxes. The Holotank showed the relative position of the _Trickster_ and the _Bellerophron_, with the former safely masked in one of Vega's debris rings, and the latter moving in a rather erratic fashion. The UNSC ship wasn't executing any known search pattern, but that didn't mean that they weren't looking.

"Captain?"

She turned to look at her yeoman.

"Dr. Kingston's report." She handed over a PDA.

Leanne accepted the device and read. The large warrior, the Spartan, was being interrogated through his neural interface. The other soldier, the one claimed as a Bondsman by Star Captain Fatima Djerassi, was secured in the cell along with one of the other Spartans. The others were still secure in the cargo hold, but examinations by the medical staff revealed extensive chemical alteration, but none as extensive as the large Spartan. There were alterations that were done to him years ago, both genetic and physical augmentations. It looked like they tried to do in a year what the Clans did over two hundred.

The Neural interrogation of 'Kurt' would reveal much, but it, like everything else, took time.

The engineers reported that they had replaced most of the damaged systems, but still lacked the parts to fix the drive core. Even the ship's machine shop could only fabricate so much before the massive fabricators on the _Liverpool_ would be needed. She set the PDA down and leaned back into her seat. She felt at a loss, due to the lack of familiarity of her home space and the absence of the rest of the naval wing. She had patrolled the deep periphery in the past, but this whole experience was something else entirely. Her thoughts drifted back to the battle. If they enemy had been a little smarter, the Trickster would have been in serious trouble. It was speculated if four enemy ships concentrated fire, they could penetrate both the shields and armor of a Hegemony vessel. The eggheads on the Heinlein and McCaffery were always speculating. It was like watching a gang of old ladies at times. However, they did report that they were close to unlocking the secrets of that Covenant warship that was captured. From the data that the UNSC shared, the Covenant warships could enter a planet's atmosphere and land. Such an ability would revolutionize Hegemony warfare by being able to land forces directly on the planet without having to use DropShips. It was, without a doubt, a major force multiplier.

She looked over at the holotank and the projected course of the _Bellerophon_. It still wasn't engaging in any search pattern, and it bothered her. Either they weren't here for the _Trickster_, or the ship jumped to where it wasn't supposed to end up. Perhaps there was a way to find out once and for all.

"Captain?"

She turned to look at her senior Electronic Warfare Officer. "Yes Commander Turner?"

"We've got an anomaly in the UNSC ship's IFF. There's another signal buried in the broadcast." He handed over a PDA with the details. The frigate's real iff read as _Bellicose_...and it was run by Insurrectionists.

"_Star Captain Djerassi, report to the bridge."_ She sent through her implant.

Franklin walked between the two massive elementals as they led him from the brig. At the end of the corridor stood the female warrior that had visited him before. Her eyes were emotionless as she turned and led them towards a lift. He took a moment to observe his surroundings as the lift doors closed. The ship had eight decks, with the brig being on the lowest deck. The doors opened at the second deck, and he was led through several sets of blast doors until they reached a familiar space.

There was still blood on the deck and bulkheads.

A few crewmembers were working to repair damage sustained during the assault, and they showed no inclination to cleanse the dark brown stains from the deck. The hatch of the bridge was guarded by a pair of armored troopers, and even though he couldn't see their faces through the v-shaped visor, he knew he was being watched carefully.

The hatch opened and he entered the bridge along with his escort. The damage to the bridge was repaired, but he could see along a bulkhead a schematic of the ship with several areas still flashing red. Several officers stood around the holotank that dominated the center of the bridge, and it was to this group he was led.

"UNSC _Bellerophon,"_ A woman spoke without looking up.

Franklin kept his face an emotionless mask. "Frigate class," He replied.

"Correct." She looked up. "I am Captain Graves. Is there a reason why I shouldn't have you and your people shoved out an airlock?"

"If you were going to kill us you would have done so already," Franklin replied.

"No, we are going to wring every bit of intelligence out of you first, then shove you out an airlock," Leanne replied. "Don't assume that you are still breathing that means we won't kill you."

She touched the controls and the holotank shifted to show the remaining Spartan IIIs in some kind of cargo bay.

"While you have value, these do not," She touched another control. Warning lights flashed in preparation for opening the cargo bay doors.

"Do I have your complete attention?"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 11**

**CASTLE Base, Reach**

**8 September 2552**

Commander Carter-A259 and his team stood in shock at the tableau before them. The partially decomposed body of a Hegemony solider laid out on a slab before them, with the massive woman's head and left arm gone along with part of her upper torso. A pair of Neuro-Surgeons was working quickly to extract samples of the woman's tissue and nanotechnology, as the remains of her battle armor were on a chain hoist in another part of the lab. Dr. Halsey was overseeing the entire operation from a glass enclosed office.

Carter led Noble team to the office where Catherine had the schematics for the battle armor floating in a holo tank, with an odd report floating next to it. She looked up and motioned them into the office.

"I am pleased to see you all," She said. "In six months we'll be able to refit all of the Spartan IIIs with new armor rivaling the Mjolnir V series without the crippling effects of the interface."

"That's good news Doc," Carter replied. "If we have six months."

She waved him off. "In six months we'll have fifty percent of the fleet refitted with the new technology. The tests on the In Amber Clad have proven that the technology works and can be quickly refitted to our ships. Seven more frigates at Earth are being refitted, and the shipyards here have gone into overdrive refitting the Reach Fleet."

She stood. "A group of engineers found the body of our friend here."

"I'm surprised that they didn't recover her," Kat spoke. "Have you identified her?"

Catherine waves to the text in the holotank. "Her name was Sandra, an Elemental with Clan Blood Spirit. She was born in 3181 and this was her first deployment."

"She was only 18?" Jorge said.

"From their archives and the genetic testing we have done on the body, these 'Clans' have been genetically engineering their infantry for over four hundred of their years for size, strength, and endurance. She could have stood a good chance of taking on a Spartan II in hand to hand combat." Catherine picked up a coffee mug. "The battle armor she wore is classified as one of the 'Elemental III' series armor, and was equipped with a micro missile launcher and several energy weapons. Think of a Spartan Laser without the power limitations."

"Impressive," Jorge said. "It would be nice to get more power out of a Spartan Laser than a handful of shots."

Carter ran his hand through his hair. "This is fascinating, but there has to be a reason for us to have been summoned here Doctor," He said.

"There is," Admiral Whitcomb stepped into the room. All five Spartans snapped to attention as did the technicians working in the room.

"Sir," Carter assumed a parade rest as Dan waved them to stand at ease.

"We have to do a little house cleaning Commander." Dan spoke. "As soon as we recover the black box from the _Point of No Return_, you and your team are heading to Earth."

"The _Point of No Return _has been found?" Six inquired.

"The damn stealth armor on that ship has kept us from getting a firm lock on her, but we got lucky when a Pelican discovered a fuel trail from the ship," Dan replied. "Your mission is to get to the Point of No Return, secure the black box, search for survivors, and return to CASTLE Base."

"What is the ROE on survivors Admiral?" Emile asked.

"If you find survivors, treat them like recovered personnel. Once you get back to base we'll separate the wheat from the chaff."

"You don't expect survivors sir?" Jun added.

"The gravitic shockwave generated by the Hegemony's Jump engines devastated the Covenant Fleet when they appeared. While our ships may be more…robust, they are just as vulnerable to the shockwave, and those Covenant ships were opened up like grapes in a microwave." Dan replied. "Get your gear together and be prepared for deployment at 0530 hrs."

The Spartans snapped to attention.

"Dismissed," Dan spoke.

Carter led his team out of the laboratory and towards the Spartan Barracks on sub level three.

"You didn't tell them?" Dan approached Catherine to stand beside her as the surgeons removed several cylinders from the warrior's abdomen.

"Tell them what?" She looked at him over her glasses. "That if we are able to replicate their nanotech we can upgrade them to Spartan IIs without surgery? The vial that we received from the Hegemony does contain enough material to basically make Kat a Spartan again. If we can culture enough of the nanites for mass production we can restore Kat as well as repair the damage done to the surviving Spartan II candidates. We might even be able to replicate their 'Iron Womb' technology to grow Spartans without the need for recruits."

"She's a clone?" He nodded to the body.

"She was genetically engineered to be the ultimate infantryman. She had no living parents and was born in an artificial womb along with one hundred other babies as part of a 'sibko'." She shook her head. "Out of that one hundred, only four survived to take part in a 'Trial of Position' to become warriors of their clan. Those that do not make it to the trials are either washed out to another caste or killed in training.

"Our actions may seem cruel in regards to John and the others, but these Clans have divorced themselves from their humanity and exist solely for war."

"How did you learn all of this?"

"From the archive they left with us and from the woman's 'codex', basically her service record in a bracelet similar to the implants our Spartans have." She said.

"I kind of skipped the history in favor of the hardware blueprints." Dan replied. "Our biggest bottleneck is getting the lenses ground for the Naval Lasers. The orbital factories at Tribute have reported that they have begun mass production of the Naval Particle Projection Cannons for the refit kits. Grindell Armaments has started refitting fifty percent of their lines to produce the lighter laser weapons from the Data core."

"Is there an ETA on the rebuilding of the Eridani Defense Fleet?" She asked.

"We've got double shifts working across the system. A lot of people don't like it but we don't have much of a choice. Half of our remaining Frigates are being routed to Tribute for refit. Lord Hood sent word that the tests on the _In Amber Clad_ have been a success. In two months we can clear the refits and start new construction. We got a lot of data regarding Hegemony shielding during the initial battle. Some of the eggheads in RD say we might be able to replicate their shielding system. It seems to be based off gravitational field manipulation."

"I read that report. I'm not sure we will have a year to build a functional shield generator system for warships." She spoke. "Any word on the Tau Ceti operation?"

"According to the timetable they are engaging the enemy now."

Her gaze turned to an alcove where techs were working on the latest Mjolnir series armor. It was originally ready for deployment but the recovery of the Hegemony Elemental sparked a dozen new ideas to be incorporated into the design. The new armor would be a bit bulkier as techs were laying what looked like bundles of muscle like fiber over the gel layer.

Carter gave his team the once over a second time. They were standing in a loose group doing a final equipment check on their EVA gear as the Pelican they were riding left Reach's atmosphere and raced towards the wreckage of the ONI cruiser. All of them, including the FNG, were working quickly and quietly, only taking time to brace themselves for turbulence as they crossed the atmosphere/space threshold.

"Prep for close quarters," Carter ordered.

Emile pulled out his Kukri knife and began scraping it along his arm. Jun shrugged and switched his SRS99D-S2 AM sniper rifle out for an M90 Shotgun. All of them were equipped with M6D Pistols as their basic weapon, with heavier weapons as their primary weapon. The others simply hefted BR55 Battle Rifles or MA5B Assault Rifles.

Six didn't look too happy.

"What's up?" Carter leaned in next to his temporary XO.

"Too many variables Commander," he shook her head. "This road trip is just the start. We should be on the frontlines, not skulking around cleaning up after ONI."

"I know," Carter replied. "The scuttlebutt says we're going to be hitting the Covenant again soon, probably with the new Frigates."

"Strapping on new toys isn't going to increase their survivability." he countered.

"Maybe, but it's a chance," Carter said. "If the strike at Tau Ceti is successful, we will have to chain a third victory to keep the momentum going."

"Easier said than done sir," Six replied. "We're still on borrowed time."

The weapons were racked and the team returned to their seats as Carter climbed up into the cockpit to watch the flight. It took them several hours to reach the wreckage, a dark void against the stars.

"The ship still retains a lot of its stealth configurations, but we have confirmed that the starboard airlock is intact and accessible," The pilot said.

It wasn't a breach boarding action, but a rather calm, enter the access code and board the ship. The interior was a total wreck. Sparse emergency lighting flickered in empty corridors. Some doors opened directly into space.

"You know, most horror movies start like this," Jorge spoke over the comlink, the light attached to the bottom of his shotgun sweeping the debris.

"I hate you," Emile replied.

"I have a shotgun," Six spoke.

"If we see any giant eggs, I'm outta here," Jun quipped.

"Knock it off," Carter ordered. "Jorge, make your way to the bridge and secure the black box. Jun, Emile…Engineering. Six, you're with me."

The team split up and moved in three directions. Carter led Six towards the main Intel-servers down on C deck, noting the massive damage sustained by the gravitational sheer. He paused to run a hand over a structural support beam, torn completely in half. The ends were jagged, resembling a broken bone rather than a titanium support beam. They crawled and climbed over the wreckage, ascending to the upper decks via the open lift shaft cabling. Carter paused to allow the desiccated body of a crewman float through the open shaft, taking a quick moment to snag the poor soul's dog tags and put them in a side pouch. The upper decks were in the same state as the lower decks, with only a few bodies exposed to the vacuum.

"Noble One to all Nobles, SITREP." Carter ordered.

"Noble Five here Commander, no survivors. We are about to enter the bridge."

"Noble Four here Commander. Engineering is a total loss. No survivors."

"Understood. Start making your way forward and arm the scuttling charges as you find them. Set for remote detonation," Carter ordered.

"Aye aye." The com link clicked off.

They reach a set of bulkhead pressure doors, what little power remaining was directed to the warning lights that flashed along the door. Beyond was open to space. Both Spartans braced themselves and heaved with pry bars taken from a small locker adjacent to the hatch controls. The seal popped silently and they wrestled the doors open.

The server room, as it was called, did not contain many computers, but was a convenient label to hide the fact that the room was the ship's primary intelligence gathering facility. All data from the ship's sensors was directed to this place, and it often served as a 'war room' for ONI spooks who like to play soldier.

There were dead bodies everywhere. Most were still strapped into their seats where the hull was ruptured, and didn't have a chance to get to safety. Carter swept the room quickly.

"No joy on Ackerson," Six reported from across the room. He was staring intently at a pair of emergency life pods designed for situations of explosive decompression.

"He's not here." Carter replied, finishing his sweep. He moved to the ONI mainframe and inserted the optical chip with a copy of the Cortana AI, this one named Persephone. Dr. Halsey made several copies of Cortana for use with Spartan teams, each with its own specific personality. He watched as the AI ran through the fragmented data net to piece together the last moments of the _Point of No Return_.

"Noble Five to Noble One. We have secured the Black Box and we are preparing to return to the Pelican."

"Copy Noble Five. Noble Three, what is your status?"

"We're setting the last scuttling charge now Commander."

"Head for the Pelican when you finish." Carter replied. He turned to the mainframe. "Persephone, what is your status?"

The holo projector flashed to life to reveal a blue woman in a Greek toga. "I've gotten the logs from mainframe as well as all pertinent files. I've managed to activate a secondary communications network to download the mainframe contents to CASTLE Base."

"ETA on the download?"

"Fifteen minutes." She replied.

"Good." He reached for the optical chip. "Set the scuttling charge and let's go."

Persephone flickered and disappeared as he pulled the chip out of the system. He moved quickly towards the entrance followed by six, who had fixed the scuttling charge against one of the life pods. They rendezvoused with rest of Team noble moments later and they all boarded quickly, with Cat and Jorge carrying the ship's black box between them.

The boarded quickly and secured the black box. Everyone on the team had a haunted look as they removed their helmets. They had seen a lot of death due to the Covenant, and were no strangers to seeing the bodies of their fellow soldiers, but this was a foolish accident. They should never have been in contact with the Hegemony, nor should they have launched an OP against them.

Carter had a flash of insight. The Hegemony's drive system could be weaponized. If the UNSC could build enough of the drives, they could create a 'mobile' minefield…something that could be used to defend UNSC territory, especially Earth. Even Covenant ships were vulnerable to the gravitic shockwave that was generated when a Hegemony ship jumps.

The Pelican detached from the wreckage and raced away. Carter made his way to the cockpit as a message was sent in the clear.

"_Pelican 327 alter course to Point Bravo and hold position for further orders."_

For a moment Carter thought the Hegemony had returned as a ship appeared near Reach, but closer examination revealed it to be a UNSC frigate…a heavily modified frigate.

"That's something you don't see often," The pilot remarked.

* * *

**CASTLE Base**

"Admiral, we have just received word that the _In Amber Clad_ has arrived in system." An aide said. Dan looked at Dr. Halsey as she led him through the various projects that were being undertaken at the ONI base. Catherine raised an eyebrow. The monitor showed the newly arrived ship as it entered orbit. It resembled more of a destroyer than a Frigate, with the gap between the two forward hull sections covered in the composite Hegemony armor as was the rest of the ship. It was almost a new class of ship with the modifications, especially the massive tube like structure on the dorsal engineering hull that replaced the troop and cargo bay. Dan noted the energy weapon emplacements as well as additional point defense systems.

"I was unaware that we were experimenting with Hegemony jump technology." Catherine spoke.

"Lord Hood had the equipment and resources at Earth to build a jump drive system. Since we were refitting the _In Amber Clad _it was decided to see if we could add a Hegemony jump drive to supplement the Slipspace drive." Dan replied. "I would hazard a guess that they have been working around the clock from the Hegemony Data."

The Slipstream COM launcher survived the battle, and communications with Earth was quickly reestablished thanks to an ONI Prowler that arrived in the battle's aftermath as well as communication through the Hegemony's probe while it was on station. When the problem with ONI occurred the probe at Sol jumped away.

They turned to look at the open weapons bay beneath them. Another piece of salvaged tech rested on a makeshift cradle. A massive forearm of one of the Hegemony's BattleMechs looked like it was literally ripped off the body of a 'Mech, the victim of a blast from a Covenant Scarab. There were two weapons mounted on the arm, both of them energy weapons which would add to the UNSC arsenal. Power cables ran from severed joints as techs cleared the space before the arm. A set of jury-rigged controls were set up to fire the two weapons, one of them a snub-nosed weapon with an actual barrel and bore, and the second weapon had a series of lenses that looked like a multi-barreled weapon. The target was a sheet of Titanium-A armor off a Halcyon class cruiser.

"I am starting to suspect that the Hegemony has deliberately left behind this salvage for us to find." Catherine said.

"What makes you say that?"

"Their teams were able to find and strip down disabled equipment in the middle of the battlefield and their field medics were able to revive those that our own abilities would have black tagged." She shook her head. "I think that this was a way for the Admiral to make sure that we had enough samples and information about their technology to give us a fighting chance."

"Dr. Halsey, we are ready for the test," The lead tech on the floor below spoke.

She touched a button on the observation control panel. "Proceed."

"Firing beam one." The tech spoke.

A blue-white lightning bolt flashed from the short barreled weapon, emitting a crack of thunder that rattled the observation deck windows and sent a rumbling through the complex.

The Halcyon armor had a hole in it the size of a man's fist.

"Firing beam two," the tech spoke again.

The lens of the second weapon glowed green, the emitted a slew of emerald bolts toward the armor. The grouping was very tight, and it too punched a hole in the cruiser's armor. The armor glowed red where the weapons impacted due to the residual heat.

"Impressive," Dan spoke. "What are the power requirements?"

"A standard fusion reactor can power them, but the Hegemony reactors are much lighter and compact than ours," Catherine replied. "The first weapon has a capacitor that requires recharging before being fired again. The second is a straight power feed from the reactor. However," She frowned. "They generate a great deal of heat. We will have to devise some kind of heat dissipation unit for each weapon system."

"Any idea on how they would do against Covenant shields?"

"I have several AIs working on simulations now," She replied. "The heavier capital class weapons we have plans for can penetrate Covenant shields in a few volleys, but we need to be concerned about how the Hegemony will react to us now. As it stand these two weapon systems can be mounted on their fighters quite easily and a MAC is no defense against a determined fighter assault."

* * *

**UNSC _In Amber Clad_**

Miranda Keyes was not a happy camper.

She wasn't happy that the eggheads at FLEETCOM decided to strap on yet another piece of untested Hegemony technology. She had seen some of the footage from the Battle of Reach when the Hegemony first appeared as it related to their jump drives. She was impressed with the pinpoint nature of the jump drives as well as the combat applications, but the jump itself was a nightmare. Everyone with a neural implant blacked out for a moment, an effect that could prove devastating against the UNSC in battle. Second, the jump shorted out half the ship's systems from the feedback pulse that was generated by the beryllium-core drive system.

Emergency crews worked quickly on the bridge to reset the vital systems before any more problems surfaced. She rubbed the bridge of her nose as a pair of techs reset her seat onto the deck. Some of the turbulence experienced in the jump caused some of the bolts that held the seat down to snap.

"What's the damage chief?" She looked to her senior engineering rating.

"I wish they included a damn manual with the drive plans."

"They did," She replied. "We only got about half of it because the geniuses cut the parts they didn't think we would need."

"Makes sense," The Chief replied. "That jump packs quite a kick."

"We went from a Lagrange-5 point to Reach in less than a second." Miranda said. "The effective range of this system is thirty light years, which will give us a tremendous advantage against the Covenant."

The lights flickered.

"If we can get it to work," She added.

"No worries Commander." The Chief spoke, looking at a display. "We've got the core stabilized and the conduits linking core to the reactors are all green. The recharge process has begun."

"ETA?" She asked.

"About eight hours for the full recharge," the chief replied. "We can jump on a lower charge but we run risks of damaging the drive core."

"Very good," Miranda spoke. "Coms?"

"We are...up and running," The com officer spoke.

"Patch me through to Reach FLEETCOM."

* * *

**CASTLE Base**

Catherine Halsey entered the operations room and watched the scene unfold.

"…is the UNSC _In Amber Clad_. We are experiencing a few system errors, but we made it."

"We read you _In Amber Clad_," Dan replied. "What is your status?"

"Half our systems are on the fritz Admiral," Miranda replied. "I really wish they didn't slash the manual before handing it to us."

"I'll forward our copy to you Commander." He grinned. "As soon as you are capable of jumping again, I want to you to take passengers and cargo back to Earth. I'll have several Pelicans dispatched immediately."

"Aye aye sir."

Catherine looked at Dan. "With your permission I will accompany the transfer of the samples and data to Earth. The biotech and engineering teams at Neo-Tokyo, Seoul, and MIT can begin work on the nanotechnology and weapon systems."

"You want to go back to Earth?"

"Everything here can function without me for a few weeks," She replied. "Besides, I feel Lord Hood will need some assistance with the new upgrades."

"Why do I get the feeling that it isn't just about the upgrades." Dan said.

Catherine simply stared at him. He knew there was a lot of bad blood between Dr. Halsey and some of the more…enthusiastic officers in ONI.

"Alright," He relented. "I am going to assign Noble Team to escort you Doctor. The situation with ONI is coming to a boil and isn't going to be tamed without a fight."

Carter and his team were only on the ground long enough to unload the black box and load several palettes of sealed containers and one very annoyed Dr. Halsey. The rest of Noble Team sat relaxed in their seats, their helmets off except for Noble Six. He kept his helmet on at all times and rarely took it off for anything. The massive robotic forearm was clamped to the Pelican's vehicle hoist, and other Pelicans were hauling the rest of the salvage back to Earth. The R&D teams had already taken samples and data for the Reach industrial complex, and engineers were putting the final touches on the repairs to the In Amber Clad from her experimental jump. Kat looked out of place in a set of BDUs, but without her augmentation it would have been dangerous for her to wear her armor.

The trip to the frigate did not take too long, and it was a very tight squeeze to get all the Pelicans into the cramped landing deck. Once the bay was re-pressurized Carter escorted Dr. Halsey along with the rest of the team to the bridge where they would experience their first jump. Power cables lay in the corridors as engineers and techs continued to work on integrating the Hegemony systems to UNSC systems. The bridge was surprisingly clear. Commander Keyes stood at the center of it all, discussing something with the Chief of Boat before turning to the new arrivals.

"Dr. Halsey," Miranda Keyes turned to face them. "Commander Carter."

"Commander Keyes," Dr. Halsey inclined her head. "Your reports on the ship's performance make for interesting reading."

"It would have been nice if we had the complete operations manual for the drive," Miranda replied. "Blacking out during combat ops is a recipe for disaster."

"Agreed," Carter replied. "The drive has enormous tactical potential, but if we can't use it safely, it is a liability."

"We've set up some barriers for everyone that has neural implants according to Hegemony specs. Now we'll see if there are similarities to our neural architecture. The ship's AI will control the jump and keep us safe if the barrier fails." Miranda returned to her seat.

"Commander, FLEETCOM has given us the green light to jump."

"Signal FLEETCOM that we are ready to jump," She replied, picking up the ship's phone. "All hands, prepare for jump."

"No sense it dragging this out," muttered Jorge.

"Begin the countdown," Miranda ordered. "Clear all traffic in a two kilometer radius."

"In Amber Clad to all ships, clear two kilometer radius for jump." The communication officer spoke. "Jump in thirty seconds."

"Commander, all hands report ready for jump." The COB reported.

"You might want to brace yourselves," Miranda looked to her passengers.

The universe turned inside out, and the ship was gone from the Eridani system.

Colonel James Ackerson awoke slowly. He had barely managed to get into one of the life pods in the bay when the gravitic shockwave shook the ship. The shockwaves increased in intensity for the briefest moment before the hull was compromised. Even in the pod he could feel and hear the ripping of the hull like tin foil. He rubbed his eyes as a flashing red light caught his attention.

…5

…4

…3

…2

"Fuck," muttered James.

* * *

**Technical Readout: 3199**

**Gaia class Destroyer**

**Introduced: **3180

**Tech: **Hegemony/Clan

**Vessel Type: **WarShip

**Mass: **650,000 Metric tons

**K-F Drive System: **Singularity series IV Advanced K-F Drive w/LF Batteries

**Length: **701 Meters

**Crew:** 766

**Power Plant: **Mk IV Hyper Fusion

**Armor Type: **Nano-Fluidic w/Stealth Weave

**Armament:**

32 Laser AMS

64 Small Pulse Laser

2 Disruptors

18 Neutron Pulse Laser

2 NL55

32 LB 20-X AC

32 Advanced Tactical Missile 12

32 ER Large Pulse Laser

1 Spinal Mount Cannon

8 Naval Plasma Cannon

2 AR10 Launchers

4 Medium N-Gauss

**Aerospace Craft: **40 (20 fighters/20 small craft)

**Overview-**

Designed to replace the aging Hegemony Fleet destroyers, many of which were hundreds of years old, the Gaia class Destroyer's mission is to function as the primary escort for the heavier capital ships of the Hegemony as well as provide solid, long range patrol capabilities for Hegemony territory in both the Inner Sphere as well as the Periphery. Mounting a pair of Disruptor Cannons in the bow, the Gaia can immobilize an opponent for either boarding actions or a coup de grace with the ship's spinal mounted gauss cannon. Despite the lack of Docking Collars, the Gaia class carries a respectable defense against enemy aerospace fighters with heavy point and short range defenses as well as two stars of aerospace fighters or LAMs.

**Capabilities:**

Nearly 1600 tons of armor protects the Gaia class, enough to shrug off most threats with the exception of heavy capital ship weapons. Armed with a wide mix of energy and ballistic weapons, the Gaia can take down a ship of equivalent mass in one shot or disable it for the ship's one hundred battle armor infantry to capture it. Twenty light aerospace craft can ferry troops, crew, and passengers from ship to ship or ship to station, and twenty aerospace fighters can provide close aerospace support to keep enemy fighters away from the ship.

**Nano-Fluidic Armor**

**Introduced:** 3149

Nano-Fluidic Armor is a layered armor designed for use by WarShips. The armor can be used with a stealth-weave to add additional protection from enemy sensor and active probes. When the armor is impacted by enemy fire, the armor hardens at the point of impact to deflect or disperse the damage. Despite the protection provided, the armor still can be penetrated by a determined, direct attack. It also has limited self-repair capabilities as long as there are enough resources available and the ship's computers and reactors are intact.

**Gravitic Shields**

**Introduced:** 3152

Gravitic shields are an off-shoot of artificial gravity technology developed in 2956. Research Scientists discovered a secondary effect of AG tech, which was a form of a repulsion field generated by a faulty AG field generator. This effect was further experimented with until the HAFS Falconer was refitted with the newly designed shield generator nodes. In combat, the shields deflect incoming enemy fire, sometimes bending the energy around the ship. Like all defenses, it can be overcome by a strong, direct attack, usually with a heavy kinetic weapon like a spinal mount or massed plasma/particle fire.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

**HaloTech**

**Chapter 12 **

**UNSC Trojan Horse**

"DAMN IT CORTANA!" Jacob held on as the ship jumped and twisted as it tumbled through slipspace. "What the hell happened?"

"The Odysseus was pulled into close proximity to the _Unyielding Hierophant_ before detonation," She replied. "The blast must have generated some kind of sympathetic detonation in the Covenant station as well."

"How soon until we return to Reach?"

"The blast damaged our NavCom and I had to use an alternate set of coordinates off the Covenant Battlenet to compensate. In addition to our navigational problems we took some damage to our engines," Cortana replied. "We'll experience Slipspace drive failure in one hour."

"What do you suggest?"

"The Covenant has a few ships in the Iota Hirogolo system. It isn't on any of their fleet location lists."

"That's a bit far afield Cortana." Jacob looked over the flashing red holographic controls.

"The Covenant has several fleets in the area between Tau Ceti and Reach, they seem to be regrouping the surviving fleets," Cortana replied. "It is too dangerous for us to try to take a damaged ship through their lines. Besides, we have enough Spartans on board to take another enemy ship and finish out journey."

Jacob rubbed his chin. "I don't like this…but we don't have much of a choice."

He tapped the ship's comlink. "Lt. Frederic, report to the bridge."

Frederic stepped onto the bridge as Jacob and Cortana were huddled over a display. He strode over to the pair and snapped to attention.

"Lt. Frederic reporting as ordered."

"At ease," Jacob replied. "Have your team prepare for boarding actions."

"Sir," Frederic saluted.

"We're about to hit a Covenant outpost and we'll need a new ship."

"We can do it sir."

"Coming out of slipspace in thirty seconds," Cortana replied.

"All hands, prepare to drop out of slipspace," Jacob spoke over the ship's com.

The vibration throughout the ship increased. Frederic prepared to return to the hold as the ship dropped out of slipspace.

Right into the middle of the biggest furball since Reach.

"EVASIVE ACTION!" Jacob shouted.

The stealth corvette emerged between a massive Covenant CSS class cruiser and a Hegemony Battlecruiser as both ships traded shots from their broadsides, with the Covenant ship taking the worst of the exchange. Despite their powerful shields, the Covenant ships had little to no armor covering their graceful lines, unlike the Hegemony WarShips that mounted heavy armor along with good shields. Shields flashed gold as the plasma from the Covenant ships splashed across the shields of a Hegemony Battlecruiser. Blue-white lightning bolts flashed in return, bypassing the Covenant shields and blasting huge holes into the enemy cruiser.

Frederic watched as several plasma torpedoes seemed to bend around the Hegemony ship, missing it completely as it returned with a massive volley of pulse laser, plasma, gauss, and PPC fire, enough to overwhelm the CSS cruiser's shields and gouge massive holes in its hull.

The corvette dove down between the two ships as fighters from both sides slugged it out.

Then they saw it.

The ring was massive. An artificial structure that dwarfed anything the UNSC could accomplish, including the skyhook at New Mombasa. It was also totally alien, and Frederic knew why the Hegemony was here as well as the Covenant. This was a very valuable piece of real estate. And it was getting closer.

"DAMAGE REPORT!" Jacob moved forward.

"We've lost the lateral thrusters and the gravitic drives are offline," Cortana reported. "We're going in."

"Can we land in one piece or do we need to evac?" Jacob replied.

"Evacuation would be good." Cortana said. "Maybe the Hegemony will be nice enough to let the UNSC know where we are."

"If they are feeling generous," Jacob replied. "Lt, get your team assembled. You're on point for this, and have the Chief report to the bridge."

"Aye sir," Frederic replied. He retreated from the bridge as Captain Keyes gave the order to abandon ship. They had just enough room in the Corvette's small hanger for the eight Pelicans and the Longsword heavy fighter, although he didn't understand why they would need a Longsword on this mission. Possibly a screw-up in the quartermaster's paperwork but he wasn't going to complain at this point. Six of the Pelicans mounted a troop bay while the last two were standard Pelicans with Warthogs slung underneath. As he arrived he found his team ready to move along with Sgt. Johnson's marines and the ODSTs.

"We're bugging out," Frederic ordered. "Everyone to the drop bay. John, Captain wants you on the bridge."

**Halo**

Lt. Janice Cain kept her face impassive as she watched two of her squad dissolve as their nanites entered a failsafe contingency to prevent the soldiers from being further infected or infecting others. They were caught without their helmets by a pack of spongy, jellyfish like creatures that attacked the team relentlessly. The aliens were easy to kill, but it was too late for Willard and Simpkins.

She pulled out a portable scanner and ran it over the remains of the aliens. She had already gotten the data from the two soldier's biochips. What she learned from the scans wasn't good. The alien carried within it a very nasty biological/genetic altering agent of unknown properties. She hadn't seen anything like it before, not even from the archives from the Age of War to the Jihad.

"Sierra One to all Hegemony Forces…code GALAX, repeat this is Sierra One declaring a code GALAX…" She spoke. She looked to the rest of her team. "Fall back to the LAMs."

Her comlink sputtered, but came to life. _"Victory confirms Code GALAX Sierra One…initiating Outbreak protocols. Relay all data to the McCaffery."_

"Standby for upload," Janice linked her scanner into the comlink.

"_Data link initiated. Transferring files to the McCaffery."_

**UNSC Trojan Horse**

John nodded and moved out of the bay, holstering a M6 pistol on his thigh and locking the MA5 assault rifle onto his armor's back clamp. He managed to reach the bridge as a brilliant flash flooded the room, followed by a massive shuddering of the entire ship.

"My God," Jacob muttered.

John's eyes focused on the two halves of the Hegemony battlecruiser as it was rammed by a Covenant CSS cruiser using a pinpoint slipspace jump. Pods spilled from the two halves of the Hegemony ship and racing away from the ring. It was something that made him pause. Why run from the alien structure? Was there something the UNSC didn't know? The Hegemony WarShip he remembered as the _Admiral Graf Spee_. The Hegemony data file listed her as a Battlecruiser, but an older Hood-C class ship as opposed to the Revolution class. Small ships detached from the hull and began escorting the escape ships. Any Covenant ship that ventured too close was destroyed.

"Chief," Jacob motioned John forward. "Cortana, your ride is here."

"Always a smoothie Captain," The holographic woman replied. "I've set the ship's autopilot to land away from the more habitable sections of the ring, but I would recommend we stick close to the corvette before making for the forested areas."

"Seraphs?" Jacob asked.

"Yes sir. The Hegemony fighters seem to have the upper hand at the moment, but there is a lot of Covenant still out there."

Her image flickered and died, and Jacob pulled her optical chip and handed it to the Chief.

"Take good care of her," Jacob ordered.

"Yes sir." John replied. He slipped the chip into the specially created slot at the base of his skull. He felt the familiar icy spike that shot down his spine as the Smart AI moved into his brain.

"Alright," Jacob looked at everyone. "Move to your assigned Pelicans. The Longsword will provide cover as we abandon ship."

He looked to John. "Lead the way Master Chief."

"Sir," John replied, moving to the hatch. The small party moved quickly through the empty corridors as Cortana kept an eye on the ship's autopilot.

"All systems are green Captain," She used the Mjolnir's speakers to relay information. "The autopilot is keeping the ship on an even course."

"Has the Covenant made any move to stop us?"

"Negative. The Hegemony has either crippled or destroyed the ships guarding Halo with the exception of one Assault Carrier that withdrew closer to the planet. A pair of Hegemony fighters made a flyby, but did not engage us."

"They made us?"

"I believe so. They were present when the Corvette was loaded into the Odysseus. They know our profile."

"Why haven't they landed their troops yet?" John asked. "Their assault forces could easily take the ring…and why did their escape pods fly away from it?"

"I noticed the same thing," Jacob said. "Have we picked up anything on the Covenant battlenet?"

"Negative. The remaining Covenant forces are limited to either a group on Halo or on that Assault Carrier."

"Scan for any transmissions from either the structure or the Hegemony fleet." Jacob ordered.

They reached the hanger and were the last to board the waiting Pelicans. The Longsword moved to the head of the line as the rest of the Pelicans lined up behind it.

"_Halo?"_ John subvocalized.

"_It fits,"_ Cortana replied, giving a verbal shrug.

"Begin the evacuation," Jacob ordered.

The longsword launched, followed by the Pelicans. The ring loomed large in the pelican's cockpit as the wreck of the corvette raced ahead of the seven UNSC ships. It was nothing like they had every seen before, totally alien, but hauntingly familiar.

"Captain, I'm picking up an open transmission from the ring," Cortana reported. "It's on a loop…"

"_-repeat, code GALAX, this is Sierra One declaring a code GALAX…"_

"Sierra?" Jacob looked at John.

"I would guess it is Hegemony Special Forces," John replied. "Not sure about GALAX."

"Cortana?"

"I've been scanning the Hegemony database. The only reference for Galax is of a major shipyard that was attacked during several of their wars."

"Shipyard?" Jacob said.

"Attacked how?" John asked.

"There were quite a few references, everything from nuclear to biological agents."

"Wonderful," Jacob said. "We'll need to run a full NBC scan before we break the seals on the Pelicans."

"I'm picking up a second transmission," Cortana replied.

"_Victory confirms Code GALAX Sierra One…initiating Outbreak protocols. Relay all data to the McCaffery."_

"_That really doesn't sound good,"_ Cortana replied as the Pelicans hit the Ring's atmospheric interface. _"We may be stuck here until the Hegemony clears whatever is on the ring."_

"We'll be fine," John replied

"_Somehow that doesn't reassure me,"_ She said.

They landed in a lightly wooded area in the middle of a canyon, the Longsword orbiting while the Pelicans settled onto the alien surface. A pair of probes were launched into the air from the lead Pelican, sensors capable of detecting the most minute traces of NBC materials. After twenty minutes the Pelicans powered down and cracked their hatches to allow the UNSC forces to disembark. A scouting team found the entrance to the alien structure among the hills overlooking the canyon, and soon a makeshift command center was established.

"Lt. we need Intel," Jacob spoke to Fred. "I want your team to scout towards this structure," He indicated on the map. "Cortana thinks this is the station's operations center."

"Rules of engagement sir?" Fred asked.

"If it is Covenant, eliminate it. If you run into Hegemony, do not engage, but keep an eye on them."

"Aye sir."

Fred turned and made his way to the entrance where the rest of his team was waiting. A quick hand signal later they were all circled around him at one of the warthogs.

"Captain Keyes wants us to do a recon of the area around this structure," He pointed at a flimsy. "John, I want you to take Grace and Linda and recon this area here," He pointed at the ridgeline around the structure. "I'll take James and Kelly and recon this area," He indicated the beaches. "We're still not sure about the level of Covenant forces on this structure, nor are we sure why the Hegemony is blockading the Ring."

It was still a mystery why the Hegemony blockaded the ring, but they had a job to do. "The rest will remain here to assist in securing the camp." Fred finished. All six mounted up in the standard Warthogs, with John taking the driver's seat while Grace rode shotgun and Linda taking the pintle mounted chain gun. He waved to the others before gunning the vehicle down the rough trail, until it was time for them to split up. He steered the Warthog up a smooth incline into the mountains while the other eased over the plains towards the artificial sea.

It was quiet, peaceful, and very much like Reach. One could fall into a false sense of security because of it all, but John was on edge. He could tell the others were on edge as well. He caught flashes on movement out of the corner of his eye, but saw nothing. As far as he knew, only the Covenant used active camouflage, but he couldn't discount the Hegemony using such technology.

"We're being watched," Linda spoke.

"I know," John replied.

"Can't be Covenant," Grace replied. "They would have attacked us by now."

"Don't be too sure," John replied.

"Come on John, three Spartans by themselves?" Grace swept her assault rifle across the passing tree line. "One plasma grenade stuck to the warthog and ka-boom."

"Sierra-117 to Sierra-104, switch to secure channel." John radioed, switching his helmet's com to a secure frequency.

"_Sierra-104 here. What have you got John?"_ Fred's voice came over his earpiece.

"We have admirers ghosting us."

"_Covies?"_

"Unknown." He replied, steering the warthog up an incline. He brought the vehicle to a skidding halt as they came across a massacre. Bodies were strewn across the path, some torn asunder, others whole, and some mutated beyond all recognition.

"104, we have bodies." John replied. "All Covenant with some unidentified aliens mixed in with them."

"_Roger 117,"_ Fred replied. _"We're nearing our objective. Proceed with caution and keep the line open."_

"Will do." John replied, easing the Warthog forward into the slaughterhouse.

"CONTACT!" Linda shouted, spinning the chain gun around to the left. A wave of tiny, bulbous creatures came over the canyon wall like a yellow wave. John gunned the Warthog further into the ravine as more and more creatures came off the walls, their soft bodies popping loudly as the heavy tires of the utility vehicle crushed them. The buzz saw of the chain gun barely cut into the alien creatures as a horror beyond imagining roared ahead of them.

It looked like a Brute…

Only with more parts…

Parts that writhed…

Linda swung the chain gun around and unleashed a wall of led on the monstrosity. It staggered back under the onslaught, it's right arm rising as a greenish glow engulfed it. John threw the Warthog in reverse as it fired, striking the very front of the vehicle instead of the middle. It flipped forward, John bailing out to the left and pulling the assault rifle from his back. Grace dove to the right, her shotgun at the ready. Linda took a more drastic dismount.

She pulled the M41 right off the mount, stepping back to allow the rear of the vehicle to act as a fulcrum upon which she pivoted, her finger tight on the trigger. The monstrosity staggered backwards before finally falling. Linda skidded across the gore covered ground, still firing as more of the small creatures appeared.

It was rapidly becoming a last stand.

"117 to 104, hostile contact! Unknown alien contacts in the valley…Aliens extremely hostile."

"_Can you pull back John?"_ Frederic replied.

"Negative." John fired at the advancing monstrosities that threatened to flank them. "They're trying to cut us off."

"SHIT! HOSTILE CONTACT!" He heard James shout over the frequency. One of the aliens charged Grace and plowed into her, sending her impacting hard into the wreckage of the Warthog. John pulled his M6 and fired three rounds into the creature's 'head'.

"GRACE!"

Linda back peddled and dropped the empty M41, pulling the M319 grenade launcher from her back. She fired a round into a mass of aliens, sending parts and pieces flying upon detonation. She reloaded and fired again, backing up to stand next to Grace as she rose slowly.

"I never thought it would end like this," Grace muttered.

There were a lot of aliens who had the features of Brutes, each holding a Covenant weapon and charging forward. Plasma flared around them as their shields took a brutal beating. Linda screamed as a Brute Spiker round smashed through her shields and armor and embedded itself into her shoulder. A blast from a Type-50 Directed Energy Rifle/Heavy threw Grace against the wreckage of the Warthog. She wobbled for a moment before sliding down to the ground. John fired a three round burst into the Brute/alien that stunned Grace. He slid a fresh clip into the MA5C and continued firing, but he knew that this was indeed a last stand. Maybe his luck had finally run out.

"104, 093 and 058 down. We are unable to withdraw." He sent.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement, but didn't take his eyes off his current target. Emerald bolts flashed all around him as the remaining monstrosities were cut down. Both Grace and Linda seemed to rise up as several armored forms shimmered into existence around them. Their armor was sleek rounded, obviously to enhance their stealth capabilities, but it was all business. In some ways they looked like ODSTs, but no ODST carried the firepower they did. Their armor seemed to shift colors slightly, adapting to the surrounding terrain and making them hard to discern, even when in motion.

Then again, maybe his luck was still with him.

"Fall back three hundred meters," A female voice ordered. John didn't hesitate, but retreated quickly. The others leapt back on jets of plasma, each carrying an unconscious Spartan II. He saw the contrails of missiles arc overhead, accompanied by the shrill whistling of certain death. A shadow crossed the sun as one of the Hegemony's transforming fighters landed amidst the wreckage and ruin, a blue-white lightning bolt flashing from the 'Mech's main cannon, a short barreled cannon mounted over the LAM's right torso. Six more missiles erupted from the 'Mech wing mounted launchers to impact against the surviving aliens. The high explosive warheads, designed for Anti-Mech warfare, made short work of the unarmored aliens, blasting massive craters into the ring's organic surface.

John slid to a stop as the massive war machine settled to the earth.

"_We're clear Ell-Tee,"_ A voice emerged from the'Mech. _"All hostiles eliminated, but I'm getting a lot of movement along the ridge twenty klicks to the north."_

There was no way to tell gender in the armor, but John could see old style Lieutenant's bar on the helmet of one of the soldiers.

"Let's move out." She said, turning to John and activating a small disk in her palm. "Team two, Sitrep."

A blue head appeared above the disk. _"We've reached the second UNSC scout team. One KIA, two wounded. Lots of dead tangos."_

"Regroup at Point Charlie," She ordered.

One of the hegemony commandos knelt by Grace and Linda and pulled out a rod. He waved over Grace first, then Linda.

"Kirk?" She asked.

"Apart from the extensive augmentations on both, this one," He indicated Grace, "Has a severe concussion and a couple of fractured ribs. The other has a single penetration wound to her left shoulder and she is in shock."

"We'll have to stabilize them at the camp," She replied. "Jericho, maintain CAP. Lucas, 'Mech mode."

The transformer seemed to fold in on itself until a ten meter bipedal robot remained. It leaned over as the two commandos loaded the injured Spartans into the 'Mech's hands before leaping up to grab onto supports build into the arms. The leader leapt up as well and secured herself before turning to John.

"You coming?"

John jumped up and grabbed the low arm and swung himself up to sit in the hand next to Linda. The ride was surprisingly smooth. Both Grace and Linda drifted in and out of consciousness for the ride back to the UNSC base camp, half way there they met up with another of the Hegemony 'Mechs, this one also carrying commandos. In each hand he could see Spartans, but not who they were, and hanging from a cable beneath a hand would haunt him.

It used to be a Spartan. The Mjolnir armor was broken and ruined, as if ruptured from within. The body was horribly disfigured, much, much worse than those Spartans who survived augmentation, but failed the mission.

"117 to Base," John radioed.

Static filled the line.

"Repeat, 117 to Base."

"_Keyes here…Report Spartan."_

"Hostile contact with unidentified aliens. One KIA, four WIA," John reported. "Contact made with Hegemony commandos. We're falling back to-."

"_Get back here ASAP Spartan. Cortana's found something."_

"Yes sir." John looked over to the commando leader.

"Our Captain wants us back at our camp ASAP."

He could feel her staring at him through the opaque helmet.

"Lucas, shift course to the UNSC camp."

"Hold on," the 'Mech's speaker replied.

The UNSC camp was an accident waiting to happen. Joanna surveyed the lax attitude portrayed by the marines, with only a few soldiers maintaining anything resembling a watch. With everything that had happened the past few days she decided to let it all out.

"GODDAMN IT! PUT ON YOUR FUCKING COVER!" She shouted at the Marines. "YOU THINK THIS IS A FUCKING PICKNIC?"

She didn't seem to care if everyone was staring at her, including the Spartans.

"We're in the middle of a Hot Zone and you idiots are pretending this is nothing more than an exercise!"

A couple of Marines quickly pulled their helmets on, but the rest stared in shock. John turned as Captain Keyes came out of the cave and strode forward. The Commando also turned as he arrived.

"I'm Captain Jacob Keyes, UNSC. And you are?"

She seemed to snap to attention before responding. "Lieutenant Joanna Caine, Hegemony Special Aerospace Services."

"What is the situation Lt.?" Keyes asked.

"This…ring…hosts a biologic that can rapidly infect and mutate anyone who comes in contact with it." She waved her hand to the dead Spartan. "We're still not sure of the transmission vectors but keeping in controlled environments can't hurt."

"My god," Keyes muttered. They both walked over where John was easing the body down.

"Its James sir," John spoke.

"What of the others?"

"Linda has a severe puncture wound to her shoulder and Grace has some fractured ribs and a concussion." John replied. "Kelly has a broken arm and Frederic has been knocked unconscious."

He turned to Joanna. "Can you help them?"

Joanna raised her com-disk and activated it. The image of Admiral Ren appeared moments later. "Ma'am, the UNSC is requesting medical assistance."

"_Authorized,"_ The Admiral replied. _"SITREP."_

"Encountered hostile parasites when shadowing UNSC recon team. One KIA among their Spartans, four WIA. We're at the UNSC Base camp."

"_Understood. Dr. Halsey has analyzed the data you sent on the parasite. It is not an airborne pathogen, but we are maintaining GALAX Protocols until the alien's infection vector is understood. Standby for support drop."_

"Yes Ma'am. Do we play nice with the UNSC?"

"_For now,"_ She replied, turning to Captain Keyes. _"I would suggest you move your forces to a more defensible position. There is a Covenant Corvette one hundred and fifty clicks to your east holding position and sensors are picking up a lot of heat signatures moving in your direction."_

"Any chance of an evac?" Keyes asked.

"_Not until we get a better handle on what we're dealing with. The mutagenic properties of this parasite cannot be trifled with nor can we allow it to escape the confines of the ring. Be advised any attempts to leave the ring and we will destroy the fleeing ship."_

Keyes rubbed his chin. "We'll play it your way for now."

"_As if you had a choice,"_ The hologram faded from view.

Joanna pulled a round tube from her back pack and walked to Linda. "This is going to hurt….a lot." She pressed the tube to the shoulder wound and squeezed. She stepped back quickly and put the tube back into her armor.

"What is it?" Keyes asked.

"Medical grade Nano. It'll fix her up in about half an hour. She'll be hungry as a wolf bitch with ten pups when it's finished repairing the damage." She leaned back on her heels. "Don't worry, this Nano won't remove her augmentation like it did with the other Spartan back on Reach."

Linda seemed to go ridged and let out a garbled screech. John leaned over and held her down as she spasmed.

"Yep…100 percent fuck you in a stick, courtesy of Hegemony Medical Corps." She turned to Keyes. "I need two pilots with excellent balance."

"Balance?"

"A BattleMech's gyroscopic stabilizers are wired to the pilot's sense of balance. We're down two and either I bring their LAMs here or trigger their self destruct systems." She shook her head. "I have a feeling we might need their firepower before this is over."

Jacob chewed his pipe. "Get Carol over here," he told his aide.

A dark skinned woman in a flight suit approached several minutes later as the Spartans were carted into the cave to recover.

"Sir?" Captain Carol 'Foehammer' Rawley spoke.

"You were part of the Saber program, correct?"

"Yes sir," She replied. "I was part of the initial flight testing before the project was…canceled."

"How's your balance?" He asked.

"Very good sir."

He turned to Joanna. "There's one." He then looked over to the Spartans. They were clustered around their fallen comrade and the injured four as a Hegemony medic spoke to one of the uninjured Spartans.

"Chief!" He shouted.

John stood up and approached the two. Jacob could see that he didn't want to leave his team.

"Sir?"

"Lieutenant Caine is down two and needs help moving their vehicles here. Think you can fly something like their robots?"

"I'm not sure," He answered honestly.

"They're in Air 'Mech mode so it flies like a helicopter, only a lot faster." Joanna spoke. "The only issue is rigging an interface so you could pilot it without the implants we use."

"How do we get off this ring?" John asked.

"We find a defensible position and hold it until the Admiral can rescind the Code Galax."

"What is Code Galax?" Jacob asked. Several of the UNSC officers seemed to congregate around them.

"Over a hundred years ago, our time, a group of religious fanatics who worshipped technology decided to throw a tantrum. One of worlds they destroyed was named Galax." Joanna's helmet visor depolarized to reveal a face like granite with silvery lines of implant circuitry visible all across her face, forming an elaborate tattoo that radiated from her eyes. "Simply put, Code Galax is a biological quarantine contingency. Until the threat is neutralized we are stuck here."

"Perhaps the Covenant released something they shouldn't have." One of the ODSTs spoke.

"That could be Major Silva," Jacob replied.

"_Captain, I think I can answer that,"_ Cortana spoke over the UNSC comlink.

"Lieutenant?" Jacob motioned the Hegemony officer to join them as he started back toward the makeshift CP. The room was a hodgepodge of UNSC and alien technologies and most of it was centered around a holographic console in front of which several UNSC officer worked.

"The Covenant is on the way here," Cortana appeared above the console. "They found this place from partially decoded data gleaned at two ONI sites on Reach."

"Sword Base and Data Hub 343," John spoke.

"Correct," Cortana replied. "The Brutes found this artifact, but the Prophets dispatched an Elite here to take charge, and he is on the ring as well as the 'Arbiter' whose ship has taken up orbit close to the planet."

"I take it the Brutes were the ones to release this parasite?" Joanna asked.

"Give the lady a cupie doll. I only have partial data on the parasite, but I have managed to hack into the Covenant Battlenet here and pieced together what we know so far."

"How soon will their reinforcements arrive?"

"Taking into account their speed in slipspace, I would say forty to forty six hours."

Joanna raised her hand as Admiral Ren's hologram appeared. "Admiral?"

"_I heard." _She replied_. "We've recovered the surviving crew of the Graf Spee and the Liverpool's tugs have moved the wreckage away from the Ring for salvage."_

"What are your plans?" Jacob asked.

"_We need more data on the Ring and this parasite. This artifact could get us back to our home, or failing that lead us to someplace that can. If there is no way for us to use this Ring I will use all weapons at my disposal to deny it to the enemy."_

A brilliant white light ended all arguments. Caine and the other SAS troopers dropped immediately, followed by the UNSC forces. In the distance, a massive mushroom cloud rose above the horizon.

John knew a nuke when he saw one. Problem was, whose was it?

"Well, that settles that problem," Joanna spoke. "Admiral?"

The hologram reappeared in her hand.

"_Emergency failsafe activated on LAM 3213A-X03,"_ Admiral Ren replied. _"We've pinpointed Site Zero as well as what appears to be the control center."_

"We will need supplies and transportation Admiral." Lt. Caine spoke. "The popguns the UNSC use won't be of much use against this Flood or the Covenant forces on site."

"_Agreed,"_ Admiral Ren replied. _"I will have a support drop readied in an hour."_

"Thanks boss," Lt. Caine stood. "Can you make sure we get some fast transports? I have a feeling we will be needing them before too long."

True to the Admiral's word, one hour and fifteen minutes later several heavy shuttles flew overhead, each one dropping cargo pods into the Ring's atmosphere. Four vehicles and four pods total were dropped with pinpoint accuracy. John opened one crate as Captain Keyes watched the Hegemony soldiers released the four hovercraft from their harnesses.

The case contained enough weapons to outfit a platoon, and the total amount of weapons offered would give most of the UNSC personnel enough firepower to beat the Covenant. He had seen enough from the Battle of Reach to know that the weapons were equal to, if not superior to in some instances, Covenant weapons.

"_Eldingar Hover Sleds_," Lt. Caine said. "They're a bit old, but they have the speed and firepower to hold of determined attackers. Capable of 151km an hour as well as the ability to transport infantry, we can get to the targets quickly.

John picked out a massive squad weapon. Its heft was similar to that of a M41 light machine gun, but it was obviously an energy based weapon.

"Support PPC," One of the Hegemony commandoes spoke. "Decent rate of fire and it ignores Covenant shields."

"Hmmm, Gauss SMGs, Mauser IIcs, and half a dozen Flamers," Joanna looked over the remaining weapons. "Jimmy, grab an engineering kit and see if we can rig an adaptor for the energy weapons to the Spartan's power plants."

"What are our objectives?" Major Silva asked Keyes.

"We'll need eyes on the control center for this ring." Keyes replied.

"A recon of Site Zero might help as well," Joanna added. "It may contain information on this parasite."

"Agreed," Jacob placed his pipe in his mouth. "What do you suggest?"

"Two man recon team for Site Zero," Joanna replied. "The rest of the forces make for the control center. The Covenant has the largest concentration of forces there so you will need all of the support you can get."

"Chief!" Jacob turned. "You up for some recon work?"

John nodded.

"I'll go as well," Joanna stood. "We can be dropped from the LAM at the target and make our way on foot to the site." She turned to one of the SAS. "Rael, you have command."

Joanna looked at Jacob. "Give us an hour to get things prepped and we'll be off."

It didn't take too long to teach the Marines how to operate the hovercraft or its weapons. Each learned the same lesson. Keep moving. Move and fire. Don't remain in one spot for too long. Tactics developed for fast moving combat forces similar to what the UNSC uses for their Warthog, Mongoose, and Hornet combined arms units.

An hour later and half a dozen engineering kits later John had a man pack PPC on a magnetic clip on his back and a Mauser IIc in his arms. Both weapons were wired to his armor's power plant, but did not entangle his movements. He held on for dear life as the LAM raced through the valleys and hills. It was similar to training flights on Falcons, but not as Nap-of-the-Earth as the Hegemony pilots seemed to fly.

**Halo Control Center**

Thel glanced around in wonder at the control center. A massive hologram of the sacred Ring floated serenely above the control system as the Oracle floated about, making strange, humming noises.

"Rtas, does the Oracle seem odd to you?"

"I have no basis on which to make an assessment Arbiter." Rtas replied. "Who are we to question its holy works?"

"Ah," Guilty Spark spun around. "The Reclaimers have arrived!"

"Relics? Here?" Thel was gladdened by the news. The recovery of the Holy Relics would do much to restore his honor in the eyes of the Hierarchs.

"Hmmm…" The Oracle seemed to drift. "There are many to choose from. Where-"

Both elites seemed to stare at each other as the Oracle drifted towards the center of the chamber.

"Very odd." Guilty Spark muttered.

Thel noticed Rtas rubbing his arm absently.

"You are distracted." Thel commented.

"An old wound Arbiter." Rtas replied. "I have heard many rumors from the Minors about the Humans. I think the Prophets are wrong about them."

"Have a care Rtas, you tread close to heresy."

"Do I?" Rtas watched the Oracle float amongst the holograms. "These humans cannot stand against us, yet they continue to fight."

He removed a section of his armor to reveal a jagged scar. "A human female gave me this."

"Their warriors are brave," Thel conceded.

"This was not a warrior." Rtas spoke somberly. "This was a mother defending her young. She had no armor, no weapon save a food preparation knife. She knew she could not beat me, nor could she beat my forces. I deactivated my shields so she could at least pass onto the next world knowing she drew blood, even if it was nothing more than a flesh wound."

Thel remained silent. He had heard the rumors, the whispers about the humans and their worth. They were innovative, fearless, and aggressive in spite of their small size. They would have made good allies to the Sangheili in the Covenant.

**Site Zero**

John and Caine fought back to back against the tide of Flood. The addition of Hegemony weapons to the Spartan arsenal proved to be a great boon as John used the Mauser IIc's pulse laser to great effect against the swarm of infection forms. Joanna used a similar weapon, only more compact. The modifications that allowed the Hegemony weapons to run off the Mjolnir's powerplant held up well to the abuse that was norm for Spartans, and it only took a few hours of tinkering that Dr. Halsey would not have approved to make those changes. Joanna's weapon did not mount the under slung grenade launcher, but instead a mini-gauss 'shotgun'. The fragmenting round shattered against the soft body of a combat form, shredding it into a pulpy mass. Their recon mission to the swamp where the parasite emerged was effectively over as the entire area was filled with Flood and it was near impossible to reach the labs where the Parasite was kept. Both moved quickly to the evac point, laying down suppressive fire as if they had both trained together for years despite coming from two different militaries. The enemy didn't appear until they reached the entrance to the underground facility, and then it was a piecemeal attack as a few aliens showed up. Then the waves got larger and larger until they were under threat of being overrun.

"We need to make for the Evac point!" Joanna shouted.

"You think we can make it?" Chief replied, firing a grenade into a cluster of Flood carrier forms.

"You don't get to be Hegemony SAS by quitting Chief." She laid down a wall of suppressive fire. "How fast can you run?"

"Faster than you," He replied.

"Then why are you still here?" She jumped up into a tree, blasting a combat form. "GO!"

Neither one of them expected to be engulfed in a golden light and transported away.

The chamber was they arrived in was dim, illuminated only by a holographic representation of the Halo ring. John immediately drew down on the two Elites that stood there. Joanna immediately focused on the floating silver sphere.

"At last, Reclaimers!"

"Reclaimers?" One of the two Elites spoke.

"Of course," Guilty Spark said. "They are the ones chosen by my makers to succeed them."

Thel stared in horror at the Oracle's pronouncement. Rtas looked saddened.

**Hegemony Naval Doctrine**

During the reconstruction following the Jihad, Naval planners for the Hegemony realized the need for maintaining a large, mobile fleet to keep the fragile peace. The original fleets were expanded, with the traditional 5-8 ship wings expanding to 12-20 ship wings. As of 3199, the Hegemony Navy maintains 12 Fleets comprised of 5-6 Wings. Each Fleet maintains at least two frontline combat wings, two transport wings, and 1-2 support wings. Additional transport capacity with standard JumpShips is often used with the Hegemony Merchant Marine and contracted independents. Heavy Cavalry RCTs are often paired with Assault Wings to provide a rapid reaction force to trouble spots in the Hegemony and its associated territories.

**Combat Wings-**

Combat Wings are the backbone of the Hegemony Navy. They are often led by a BattleCarrier, Fleet Carrier, or Dreadnought depending on the Fleet's OA, or Operational Area. Wings led by BattleCarriers often operate in the Periphery where their flexibility comes into play. Fleet Carrier or Dreadnought Wings usually operate out of major fleet bases.

**Transport Wings-**

Comprised of WarShip Transports, these units form the hegemony's transport command. Comprised of Asimov, Volga, Sylvester, and Potemkin class ships, these specialized WarShips mount enough firepower to defend themselves, but also maximize their cargo capacity. Standard JumpShips fill in the gaps of the Military Transport Command.

**Tactics-**

While tactics vary among the Hegemony's Admiralty, the core tactics of rapid deployment and fast attack remain constant. With the Hegemony's ability to jump closer to planetary bodies, it gives fleet commander the flexibility needed to respond to threats quickly, which acts as a strong deterrent to aggressor states like the Capellan Confederation and the Marik Independent States. The Fleet's job is to secure the target world while dropping ground forces directly onto the planet. Cruisers and Frigates are often designated primary transports for embarked BattleMech units, with Destroyers and Corvettes serving as the fleet's pickets and forward screening elements. The heavier capital ships serve as both command and control ships as well as heavy shock elements.


End file.
